Cape Town - Bafana Bafana join São Tomé and Príncipe, Ghana and Sudan in Group C in qualification for the 33rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament to take place in Cameroon in 2021.
São Tomé earned a historic victory over Mauritius - winning 3-1 in the first round of the preliminary stage and followed it up with a 2-1 victory in the second leg for a 5-2 overall aggregate.
São Tomé are ranked 190th in the world and play their home matches at the Estadio Nacional 12 de Julho, which is a 6 500-seater venue.
The 48 teams have been divided into 12 groups of four each and the top two sides from each group will earn a ticket to the 2021 showpiece.
South Africa kick off their campaign with an away trip Ghana on Friday, November 15 in Kumasi, and will then host Sudan four days later (Tuesday, November 19) at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The 2021 AFCON qualifiers will then take a nine-month break.
When the competition resumes in 2020, South Africa will play back-to-back (home and away) matches against São Tomé in September.
The next month, South Africa will welcome Ghana for an epic home clash before Molefi Ntseki's charges travel to Sudan for their final Group C match in November.
As the host nation, Cameroon have already secured their spot for the final tournament draw - to take place in 2021 (date TBC).
However, the Indomitable Lions will take part in the qualifiers to gain competitive match practice in Group F - this means Cape Verde, Mozambique and Rwanda will contest for the two qualifying spots in the group.
BAFANA BAFANA 2021 AFCON QUALIFIERS:
November 15, 2019: v Ghana (A)
November 19, 2019: v Sudan (H)
September 4, 2020: v Sao Tome (H)
September 8, 2020: v Sao Tome (A)
October 10, 2020: v Ghana (H)
November 13, 2020: v Sudan (A)
CONFIRMED GROUPS FOR CAMEROON 2021 AFCON QUALIFIERS:
Group A: Mali, Guinea, Namibia, Chad.
Group B: Burkina Faso, Uganda, Malawi, South Sudan
Group C: Ghana, South Africa, Sudan, Sao Tome
Group D: DR Congo, Gabon, Angola, The Gambia
Group E: Morocco, Mauritania, Central African Republic, Burundi
Group F: Cameroon (Q), Cape Verde, Mozambique, Rwanda
Group G: Egypt, Kenya, Togo, Comoros
Group H: Algeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana
Group I: Senegal, Congo, Guinea-Bissau, eSwatini
Group J: Tunisia, Libya, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea
Group K: Ivory Coast, Niger, Madagascar, Ethiopia
Group L: Nigeria, Benin, Sierra Leone, Lesotho
- SAFA media