Cape Town - While many are calling Group D, the Group of Death following Friday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations draw, history is on the side of Stuart Baxter's Bafana Bafana side.

South Africa will be taking on former champions Ivory Coast and Morocco, as well as fellow COSAFA member Namibia in the tournament that takes place in Egypt from June 21 to July 19.

Bafana Bafana have played the three countries a total of 19 times - Ivory Coast (6), Morocco (5) and Namibia (8).

South Africa are yet to taste defeat against The Elephants (Ivory Coast) as well as The Atlas Lions (Morocco), but have lost once to the Brave Warriors (Namibia). This was in their first ever meeting back in 1998 in the COSAFA Cup, with Namibia claiming a 3-2 win in Windhoek.

But then the most famous victory for South Africa over their neighbours was when former striker Benni McCarthy scored four goals in 1998 in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso as Bafana Bafana ran away 4-1 winners. This was the match McCarthy used to burst onto the international scene and established himself as one of the most lethal strikers the country has ever produced.

With South Africa coming into the tournament as the defending champions, Benni netted a quickfire four goals in 20 minutes in the final AFCON Group C match. He remains the country’s all-time top scorer with 31 goals in 80 matches.

In eight outings between the Brave Warriors and Bafana Bafana, South Africa have hit the back the net 16 times against Namibia’s 8.

Ivory Coast have lost twice against South Africa, with four matches drawn in their six meetings.

The first victory for Bafana Bafana came in 2003 in an AFCON qualifier played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane - Shaun Bartlett and Siyabonga Nomvete the scorers in a 2-1 win. The other was five years ago in the last meeting between the two nations in the Nelson Mandela Challenge. The clash took place in Mbombela.

Bafana Bafana won their first ever clash against Morocco 2-1 back in 1998 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - David Nyathi and Benni McCarthy scored the goals.

The success continued in the second match four years later in Segou, Mali – Sibusiso Zuma, Thabo Mngomeni and Siyabonga Nomvete finding the back of the net in a 3-1 win of the AFCON group stages encounter.

With five matches played so far, South Africa won two against Morocco with the other three drawn.

The last time they met was in 2013 in an international friendly match in Agadir, Morocco at the opening of a new stadium – the encounter ended 1-1, Tokelo Rantie scoring in the match.

FULL HEAD TO HEAD STATS:

SOUTH AFRICA VS IVORY COAST
P          W         D          L          GF        GA

6          2          4          0          6          3

November 30, 1994

v Cote d’Ivoire 0-0

Four Nations Cup

Boet Erasmus stadium, Port Elizabeth

Coach: Clive Barker

February 11, 1998

v Cote d’Ivoire 1-1 (Mkhalele 8’ pen; Ouattara 88’)

African Nations Cup finals Group C

Omnisport Stadium, Bobo-Dioulasso

Coach: Jomo Sono

September 8, 2002

v Cote d’Ivoire 0-0

African Nations Cup qualifying group 11

Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium, Abidjan

Coach: Ephraim Mashaba

June 22, 2003

v Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 (Shaun Bartlett 21’, Siyabonga Nomvete 65’; Kalou 41’)

African Nations Cup qualifying group 11

Peter Mokaba stadium, Polokwane

Coach: Ephraim Mashaba

12 November, 2011

v Cote d’Ivoire 1-1 (Mphela 53’; Gaxa 36’ own goal)

Friendly international
At Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Coach: Pitso Mosimane

November 30, 2014

v Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 (Zungu 31’, D Zulu 53’)

Nelson Mandela Challenge

Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Coach: Ephraim Mashaba

SOUTH AFRICA VS MOROCCO
P          W         D          L          GF        GA

5          2          3          0          9          6

February 22, 1998

v Morocco 2-1 (McCarthy 21’, Nyathi 73’; Chiba 35’)

African Nations Cup quarterfinal

Municipal Stadium, Ouagadougou

Coach: Jomo Sono

January 30, 2002

v Morocco 3-1 (Sibusiso Zuma 42’, Thabo Mngomeni 48’, Siyabonga Nomvete 51’; Ben Mahmoud 75’ pen)

African Nations Cup finals, group B

Amady Ngaou stadium, Segou

Coach: Carlos Quiroz

February 4, 2004

v Morocco 1-1 (Patrick Mayo 29’; Safri 38’ pen)

African Nations Cup finals group D

Stade Olympique, Sousse

Coach: Styles Phumo

January 27, 2013

V Morocco 2-2 (May Mahlangu 71’, Siyabonga Sangweni 88’; Issam El Adoua 10’, Abdelilah Hafidi 82’)

African Nations Cup Group A

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Coach: Gordon Igesund

October 11, 2013

v Morocco 1-1 (Tokelo Rantie 9’; Issam El Adoua 50’)

Friendly international

Stade d’Agadir, Agadir

Coach: Gordon Igesund

SOUTH AFRICA vs NAMIBIA
P          W         D          L          GF        GA

8          5          2          1          16        8

January 24, 1998

v Namibia 2-3 (Mooki 39’, Masinga 62’; Goagoseb 44’, Tjihero 89’, Auchumeb 100’)

Cosafa Castle Cup first round

Independence stadium, Windhoek

Coach: Jomo Sono

February 16, 1998

v Namibia 4-1 (McCarthy 9’, 11’, 19’, 21’; Uutoni 64’)

African Nations Cup finals group C

Omnisport stadium, Bobo-Dioulasso

Coach: Jomo Sono

July 31, 1999

v Namíbia 1-1 (Ndlanya 32’; Hindjou 50’)

Namíbia won 4-1 on penalties

Penalty shootout sequence (Namibia first): 1-0 Tjihero; 1-0 Mngomeni (saved); 2-0 Kanelelo; 2-0 Booth (saved); 3-0 Tjikuzu; 3-1 Bartlett; 4-1 Hindjou

Cosafa Castle Cup quarterfinal

Independence Stadium, Windhoek

Coach: Trott Moloto

August 16, 2006

v Namibia 1-0 (Katlego Mashego 61’)

Friendly international

Sam Nujoma stadium, Windhoek

Coach: Pitso Mosimane

March 3, 2010

v Namibia 1-1 (Katlego Mphela69’; Bester 42’)

Friendly international

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira

July 13, 2013

v Namibia 2-1 (Jabulani Shongwe 48’, Hlompho Kekana 62’; Willy Stephanus 73’pen)

COSAFA Cup quarterfinal

Nkoloma Stadium, Lusaka

Coach: Gordon Igesund

July 7, 2017

v Namibia 1-0 (Mokate 36’)

COSAFA Cup plate final

Moruleng Stadium

Coach: Stuart Baxter

June 5, 2018

v Namibia 4-1 (Modiba 25’ pen, Maboe 28’, 40’, Xulu 53’; Hotto 38’)

COSAFA Cup plate semifinal

Old Peter Mokaba Stadium

Coach: Stuart Baxter