A few weeks ago, Bafana were strong favourites to top Group C and book their spot in the global showpiece set to take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. How things have changed. From a position of strength, Hugo Broos’ charges now find themselves in a precarious situation where they need favours from others.

It all went downhill after the belated deduction of three points for fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho.

This, coupled with the recent failure to bag maximum points against neighbours Zimbabwe under pressure, has left Bafana’s campaign in tatters.

Even the most confident fan is now filled with doubts as qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup - which would have been historic - now looks uncertain.

Broos himself, who has been oozing confidence throughout, is now looking a dejected figure, resigned to his fate - a far cry from the man who was on the brink of making history.

But not all hope is lost. Yes, South Africa have a big mountain to climb. A few things need to align for them to achieve their goal, but it is still well within the realm of possibility.

Here, GOAL looks at why Broos and his side can’t afford to lose hope and must remain positive heading into their crunch final qualifier against Rwanda on Tuesday.