Former Bafana Bafana striker Katlego Mashego believes Hugo Broos' troops can finish top of their group in the 2025 AFCON finals, which are scheduled to take place in Morocco in December.
On Monday, South Africa were drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola, and Zimbabwe.
READ: Bafana's AFCON group history...
"It's not a bad group for us, especially considering how we performed in the last AFCON in Ivory Coast," Mashego tells KickOff.com.
"All three teams will likely be concerned about Bafana. South Africa has a good chance to top this group. We should be favourites to win [it].
"The worst-case scenario for us would be finishing third. Ideally, we'd want to finish second to advance to the knockout stages. "Getting out of this group is definitely possible and achievable.
"With the current state of the national team, we shouldn't be looking for new players or rebuilding the squad. The coach already knows the core group of the team.
"However, that doesn't mean we should ignore any players who suddenly hit top form," he added.
The man who featured for the likes of Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns during his playing days says by now, Broos would have had a good idea of the team he will travel with to the tournament.
READ | BREAKING: Chiefs new signing confirmed!
"During the last AFCON, people were not expecting South Africa to perform as well as we did. But this year, all eyes will be on us.
"Still, we need to aim to win AFCON this year. We are not just hoping to reach the semifinals. Our goal is to win the trophy. We must strive for gold. We are going to Morocco to win the cup."