LIVE | 2025 Afcon draw: How it works and who Bafana Bafana could face

The stage is set for Monday's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) draw in Morocco, with South Africa placed in Pot 2 - positioning them among the tournament's second-tier seeds.

As anticipation builds, Bafana Bafana will soon discover their group-stage opponents for the highly anticipated continental showdown in December.

The draw will start at 20:00.

Being in Pot 2 means South Africa will face one of the tournament heavyweights - hosts Morocco, defending champions Ivory Coast, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria or Senegal, all of whom occupy the coveted top-seed spots in Pot 1.

South Africa will avoid potential clashes with Pot 2 rivals Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Tunisia, at least in the group stage.

Unlike previous tournaments, where historical performances often influenced seedings, this year's rankings were determined purely by the latest FIFA standings.

As of 19 December 2024, the latest rankings released by FIFA had South Africa ranked 57th globally and 10th in Africa, which earned them their place in the second tier.

How the draw will work

The draw will begin with the teams in Pot 4 - featuring a strong southern African presence with Botswana, Comoros, Mozambique, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe - being placed into the six groups first.

Next, the six teams in Pot 3 - Angola, Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Uganda and Zambia - will take their turn before Bafana Bafana and the other Pot 2 contenders are drawn.

Finally, the top seeds will be announced, completing the group stage lineup and setting the tone for an exciting tournament.

The structure of the tournament

Afcon officially kicks off on 21 December 2025.

The top two teams from each group of 24 will advance to the knockout rounds, along with