The last time Bafana Bafana played at the World Cup finals it was by virtue of being hosts in 2010, but Hugo Broos will now be tasked with delivering on what last happened over 20 years ago.
Reality is that Bafana last qualified for a World Cup in 2002 having also done the same four years earlier.
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Attempts to make through to Germany 2006, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022 were all in vain just like what happened with the first attempt back in 1994.
So, in seven World Cup qualification campaigns, Bafana were only successful just twice with the third appearance presented through a hosting ticket.
"This camp is important and also difficult," says Broos.
"It is an important camp because we are playing qualifiers for the World Cup.
"It is 21 years ago that for you South Africans, you last qualified for the World Cup.
"In 2010 it was a little present that you got because you were the country that organised it.
"It is time that South Africa qualifies again for such a big tournament so therefore it is such an important camp," says Broos.
Fresh from being accepted back to FIFA, Bafana were naïve in the 1994 qualifiers.
Bafana then made a melee of the 2006 qualifiers ton eventually hand Ghana the ticket before fumbling in 2014 qualifiers with Ethiopia winning the second phase of qualifiers group to proceed to the third round.
It was a campaign that started with Pitso Mosimane in charge who was then sacrificed after a disappointing draw at home to Ethiopia with Steve Komphela then taking over the draw with Botswana before Gordon Igesund oversaw the last four games which included defeat to Ethiopia.
The 2018 qualifiers – mostly overseen by Stuart Baxter – were awful with one win and four defeats for Bafana who finished bottom of their group as Senegal easily went through.
Broos then stepped in for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers after the disaster of failing to qualify for the 2021 AFCON finals under Molefi Ntseki.
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Bafana were gallant in their fight and were only denied by scandalous officiating in Ghana.
The Belgian gaffer gets the 2026 mission underway with a must win against Benin on Saturday afternoon (15h00) at Moses Mabhida before travelling to Rwanda on November 21.
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