South Africa failed to qualify for the last two editions of the global spectacle, with their last appearance dating back to 2010 when it was hosted in Mzansi.
Molefi Ntseki's men were drawn in Group G alongside Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Ghana, whom they also contest with for a place at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
The group phase qualifiers will get underway in March this year, which is the first international break in 2020.
Only the group winners will advance to the final round of qualifying, where the 10 group winners will be drawn into five two-legged affairs to determine the five sides that will compete in Qatar.
Group A: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Djibouti,
Group B: Tunisia, Zambia, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea,
Group C: Nigeria, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Liberia
Group D: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Malawi
Group E: Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Group F: Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Angola
Group G: Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
Group H: Senegal, Congo, Namibia, Togo
Group I: Morocco, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
Group J: DR Congo, Benin, Madagascar, Tanzania