Cape Town - Oupa Manyisa believes that South Africa have a fantastic chance of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The Orlando Pirates midfielder was a standout performer at Bafana's failed Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign at the beginning of the year and he continues to be a regular in coach Shakes Mashaba's setup.
Bafana have not qualified for a World Cup since the 2002 edition of the tournament in South Korea and Japan, though they did participate in the 2010 showpiece as the host nation.
Now, under Mashaba's guidance, Bafana are looking to secure their place in Russia but first they must get past Angola over two legs in November.
"It goes without saying how important it is that we are there (Russia)," Manyisa told Sport24.
"Every nation that regards its football to be in good health has to be on the biggest platform of all - the World Cup.
"I think the crop of players we have currently are all playing at the highest individual level in their respective teams and we just need to get better when playing as a group, so I am very positive that we will be in Russia come 2018."
More immediately, though, Manyisa will focus on taking Orlando Pirates back to the top of the PSL when he leads the Buccaneers this season.