With just one African to show off, the 1996 winners South Africa will be hoping for a second when the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations commences.
Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter announced a provisional 28-man squad for a training camp in Johannesburg ahead of the finals in Egypt next month.
In the squad announced on Tuesday, striker Kermit Erasmus and midfielder Fortune Makaringe were the surprise call-ups before Baxter reduces the squad to a final 23.
South Africa was drawn in what can be called ‘group of death’ Group D at the Afcon against West African giants Ivory Coast‚ the Atlas Lions of Morocco and Namibia.
They will play their first match against Cote d’Ivoire on June 24‚ Namibia on June 28 and Morocco on July 1, all the games will be played in a 30‚000-seater Al Salam Stadium.
South Africa are back into the competition after failing to qualify for the 2017 tournament in Gabon, in the 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea, they failed to make it out of the group stage.
Bafana Bafana Provisional AFCON squad
Goalkeepers: Darren Keet (Bidvest Wits), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs)
Defenders: Daniel Cardoso (Kaizer Chiefs), Rivaldo Coetzee (Mamelodi Sundowns), Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Kaizer Chiefs), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Bidvest Wits), Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates), Sifiso Hlanti (Bidvest Wits), Buhle Mkhwanazi (Bidvest Wits), Thamsanqa Mkhize (Cape Town City), Nikola Tavares (defender)‚ Joel Untersee (defender)
Midfielders: Bongani Zungu (Amiens SC‚ France), Hlompho Kekana (Mamelodi Sundowns, Dean Furman (SuperSport United), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Brentford‚ England), Tiyani Mabunda (Mamelodi Sundowns), Thulani Serero (Vitesse‚ Netherlands), Thembinkosi Lorch (Orlando Pirates), Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Fortune Makaringe (Maritzburg United), Ben Motshwari (Orlando Pirates)
Strikers: Lebogang Mothiba (RC Strasbourg‚ France), Percy Tau (Union Saint-Gilloise‚ Belgium), Lars Veldwijk (Sparta Rotterdam‚ Netherlands), Lebohang Maboe (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Mamelodi Sundowns), Kermit Erasmus (Cape Town City)
