adminJOHANNESBURG. — South Africa were handed a tough task when the draw for the preliminary African qualifying rounds of the 2018 World Cup was made on Saturday in host nation Russia. Bafana Bafana (The Boys), who have played in the global football showcase three times, were paired with fellow Southern Africans Angola during a ceremony in Saint Petersburg.
It is the only one of 20 second-round ties featuring two former qualifiers with Angola shock participants in the 2006 tournament.
South Africa reached the 1998 and 2002 competitions via the qualifying route and were automatic 2010 World Cup contestants as hosts.
Only seven African rankings places divide Bafana Bafana and the Palancas Negras (Sable Antelopes) and the clash is a highlight of the draw.
Recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifying form suggests a close contest during November with the first leg to be played in Angola.
South Africa were held 0-0 at home by lowly Gambia last month while Angola whipped visiting Central African Republic 4-0 in a show of force.
AFRICA DRAW in full
First round (October 2015): Somalia v Niger; South Sudan v Mauritania; Gambia v Namibia; Sao Tome and Principe v Ethiopia; Chad v Sierra Leone; Comoros v Lesotho; Djibouti v Swaziland; Eritrea v Botswana; Seychelles v Burundi; Liberia v Guinea Bissau; Central African Republic v Madagascar; Mauritius v Kenya; Tanzania v Malawi
Second round (November 2015): Somalia or Niger v Cameroon; South Sudan or Mauritania v Tunisia ; Gambia or Namibia v Guinea; Sao Tome and Principe or Ethiopia v Congo; Chad or Sierra Leone v Egypt; Comoros or Lesotho v Ghana; Djibouti or Swaziland v Nigeria; Eritrea or Botswana v Mali; Seychelles or Burundi v Democratic Republic of Congo; Liberia or Guinea Bissau v Ivory Coast; Central Africa Republic or Madagascar v Senegal; Mauritius or Kenya v Cape Verde; Tanzania or Malawi v Algeria; Sudan v Zambia; Libya v Rwanda; Morocco v Equatorial Guinea; Mozambique v Gabon; Benin v Burkina Faso; Togo v Uganda; Angola v South Africa. – Soccernet.
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