South Africa have been given a bye in the first round of qualifiers for the finals tournament to be staged in Cameroon from November 19 to December 3.
They will meet the winner of the tie between Mauritius and Botswana for a place in the finals, a fixture that should hold no fear for them whoever they get.
It is most likely they will face Botswana, who they defeated 10-0 in a friendly match in September last year.
Other nations who were given a bye in the first round are Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Ivory Coast.
The Nigerians will face the winner of the tie between Senegal and Guinea for a place in Cameroon, while Ivory Coast, who ruined Bafana’s dreams of a place in the FIFA World Cup earlier this year, tackle Libya or Egypt.
Zimbabwe may have qualified, along with South Africa, for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year, but there was no bye for them.
They tackle Tanzania in the first round of AWC qualifiers,and if they advance from there must tackle either Zambia or Namibia for a place in Cameroon.