South Africa have competed in the qualifiers of every Africa Cup of Nations tournament since 1994, except 1998, when they were defending champions in an era when the holders got automatic entry into the next finals, and in 2013 when they were hosts.
There were no qualifiers for the 2006 finals in Egypt and 2010 in Angola, when the World Cup preliminaries were used to determine the Cup of Nations finalists.
As Bafana embark on a new campaign, looking for a place at the 2027 finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, we look back on the previous bids at qualification.
1994 (Tournament hosts Tunisia)
South Africa did not qualify, finishing third in Group Five
South Africa had only months before been accepted into the ranks of the Confederation of African Football and so were injected into the qualifiers, in the same group with Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It proved a harsh lesson in reality for those who thought playing in continental competition would be easy
P6 W1 D2 L3 GF5 GA10
1996 (Tournament hosts Kenya, who withdrew, then South Africa)
South Africa started competing in Group Five but withdrew
Bafana played three matches in the qualifiers before being withdrawn because the country had stepped in as emergency hosts when Kenya were not ready. In the three games, there was an away win over Madagascar, a home win over Mauritius and a draw in Zambia, which was a major confidence builder.
P3 W2 D1 L0 GF3 GA1
2000 (Tournament co-hosts Ghana & Nigeria)
South Africa qualified, finishing first in Group Four
Three home wins laid the foundation, although victory over Angola was hard-fought, but the second against Gabon was a thumping 4-1 win. Mauritius were the other team in the group. Bafana lost away in Gabon to a disputed late goal and let a 2-0 lead in Luanda slip to draw 2-2 with Angola.
P6 W3 D2 L1 GF10 GA5
2002 (Tournament hosts Mali)
South Africa qualified, finishing second in Group Two
Bafana finished the campaign unbeaten, but because they were held to a goalless draw by Congo in their last group game, which was after they had already qualified, Liberia edged them by one point in the group. Mauritius were again also in the same group for a fourth successive time.
P6 W3 D3 L0 GF9 GA4
2004 (Tournament hosts Tunisia)
South Africa qualified, finishing first in Group 11
Only three in the group with a single place and, in essence, a straight shootout with the Elephants of the Ivory Coast. A draw in Abidjan in the first game essentially meant that Bafana would need to win at home in their last clash. In between, both countries beat Burundi at home and away.
P4 W3 D1 L0 GF6 GA1
2008 (Tournament hosts Ghana)
South Africa qualified, finishing second in Group 11
Bafana won away for the only time in Lusaka, scored seven goals against Chad and drew home and away with Congo to qualify with one game to play. They were three points clear of Zambia but imploded at Newlands in Cape Town and lost 3-1 as Chris Katongo scored a hat-trick inside 30 minutes.
P6 W3 D2 L1 GF10 GA4
2012 (Tournament co-hosts Equatorial Guinea & Gabon)
South Africa did not qualify, finishing second in Group G
The most embarrassing episode in Bafana history, as they did not understand the permutations of head-to-head over goal difference and drew with Sierra Leone in their last game, which they should have won ... celebrating without knowing they had actually missed out to lowly Niger, who went on to the finals.
P6 W2 D3 L1 GF4 GA2
2015 (Tournament hosts Equatorial Guinea)
South Africa qualified, finishing first in Group A
Bafana topped the group with an unbeaten run while long-standing nemesis Nigeria came third and did not make it. South Africa’s two games with Nigeria were drawn but they should have won away in the last match; they were 2-0 up and only gave an equaliser deep in stoppage time.
P6 W 3 D3 L0 GF9 GA 3
2017 (Tournament hosts Gabon)
South Africa did not qualify, finishing third in Group M
A disastrous campaign with a loss to lowly Mauritania and no home wins. Shakes Mashaba proved out of his depth and Bafana returned their worst-ever qualifying result with a solitary win away over the Gambia – admittedly the biggest away win posted by the country.
P6 W1 D4 L1 GF8 GA6
2019 (Tournament hosts Egypt)
South Africa qualified, finishing second in Group E
Bafana finished behind Nigeria, but the top two teams went through to the finals. It included a 2-0 away win over Nigeria in Uyo as Tokelo Rantie scored twice, but it was still a tight tussle for places, and only a double from Percy Tau and the goalkeeping heroics of Darren Keet in the last game in neutral Tunisia over Libya ensured a trip to the finals.
P6 W3 D3 L0 GF11 GA 2
2021 (Tournament hosts Cameroon)
South Africa did not qualify, finishing third in Group C
Bafana, under inexperienced coach Molefi Ntseki, needed a draw away in their last game against Sudan but fell behind early and missed many good chances to get back in the game, with Thapelo Morena the main culprit. Ghana topped the group, and Sudan were second.
P6 W3 D1 L2 GF8 GA7
2023 (Tournament hosts Ivory Coast)
South Africa qualified, finishing second in Group K
With Zimbabwe disqualified because of government interference in the running of their football association, two of three teams would qualify, and South Africa and Morocco were the favourites. But Liberia made it uncomfortable for Hugo Broos’ side before they finally got over the line.
P4 W2 D1 L1 GF7 GA6
2025 (Tournament hosts Morocco)
South Africa qualified, finishing first in Group K
Bafana had late escapes in their opening two fixtures, with Thalente Mbatha scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time against both Uganda, to draw 2-2 at the Orlando Stadium, and South Sudan, to win 3-2 in Juba. After that 5-0 win over Congo and away success in Uganda ensured top spot in the group.
P6 W4 D2 L0 GF15 GA5