South Africa has been given a bye in the first round of qualifiers of the 2018 African Nations Championship.
Bafana Bafana will open their campaign only in the second round when they face Botswana in the Southern Zone qualifiers in a home and away clash.
The first leg will take place in Botswana on the weekend of 14, 15, 16 July 2017, with the return leg scheduled for a week later in South Africa (21, 22, 23 July 2017).
The overall winner will face the victors in the clash between Swaziland and Zambia. The third round fixture will also to be played over two legs, set for the weekend of 11, 12, 13 August 2017. The second leg will take place between 18 and 20 August.
The winners in this match will qualify for the CHAN 2018, known as Total African Nations Championship in Kenya in 2018.
This biennial tournament will be held between 11 January and 2 February 2018 in Kenya.
Only national team players who are playing in their countries’ domestic league are eligible to compete in the tournament – which means a player from Kenya playing outside Kenya, but on the continent, cannot take part. They have to be based in Kenya.
DR Congo are the defending champions having lifted the title in Rwanda last year. South Africa hosted the tournament in 2014.
A total of 16 teams will feature in the final tournament, including Kenya who qualified automatically as hosts.
The draw took place on Friday, 3 February 2017 in Libreville, Gabon.
BAFANA BAFANA CHAN 2018 QUALIFIERS
JULY 2017
14~16
1ST LEG
BOTSWANA vs SOUTH AFRICA
21~23
2ND LEG
SOUTH AFRICA vs BOTSWANA
AUGUST 2017
11~13
1ST LEG
WINNER BETWEEN BOTSWANA/SOUTH AFRICA vs WINNER BETWEEN SWAZILAND/BOTSWANA
18~20
2ND LEG
WINNER BETWEEN BOTSWANA/SOUTH AFRICA vs WINNER BETWEEN SWAZILAND/BOTSWANA