South Africa
Manager: Hugo Broos
South Africa did well to qualify from a difficult group featuring five-time finalists Nigeria, even overcoming a three-point deduction to finish top of Group C and reach a fourth World Cup. Pipping Nigeria to qualification was no small feat, but this is a clear step up in class. Bafana Bafana have not appeared at a finals since hosting in 2010, when they were eliminated in the group stage, and a lack of experience at this level is a concern. They reached the last 32 of this year's Africa Cup of Nations before losing to Cameroon, but this is a tougher test again. They should be competitive and organised, but goals may be hard to find and a bottom-place finish in Group A looks the most likely outcome.
