Neil Tovey and Mark Williams, key figures when SA won their lone AFCON title, believe defeating semi-finals opponents Nigeria will be “tough”. Image: Wikimedia Commons

The rise and fall of South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)

South Africa won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but it has been mainly downhill since for the team known as Bafana Bafana.

by Garrin Lambley

14-01-2024 09:47

in Bafana Bafana

Neil Tovey and Mark Williams, key figures when SA won their lone AFCON title, believe defeating semi-finals opponents Nigeria will be “tough”. Image: Wikimedia Commons

South Africa won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but it has been mainly downhill since for the team known as Bafana Bafana.

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Here is the complete record of the country in the African football showpiece after the collapse of apartheid permitted their entry:

1994: Failed to qualify

1996: Champions (hosts)

1998: Runners-up

2000: Third

2002: Quarter-finals

2004: First round

2006: First round

2008: First round

2010: Failed to qualify