Kaizer Chiefs have six players who have headed out to represent their country in FIFA 2022 World Cup Qualifying games, as the race to reach Qatar for next year’s showpiece event heats up.

Khama Billiat has heeded the call and headed off to join up with the Zimbabwe national team, while Daniel Akpeyi is once again part of the Nigeria setup. Four Amakhosi players will be in the South Africa squad as they prepare for the challenge from Ethiopia.

In Group G, Bruce Bvuma, Njabulo Ngcobo, Njabulo Blom and Sfiso Hlanti will be looking to play a part in Bafana Bafana’s doubleheader against Ethiopia, who they will face away from home on 9 October and at FNB Stadium on 12 October.

Blom and Ngcobo both featured during Bafana’s 1-0 win in Johannesburg in their last qualifier in September against Ghana and played a role in the victory which sees South Africa occupy the top spot in the group with four points.

Elsewhere in Group G Khama Billiat will team up with former Chiefs striker Knowledge Musona as they get ready to face Ghana in the Cape Coast on 9 October and in Harare on 12 October. The Warriors will be looking to get their campaign back on track after picking up one point from their opening two games, after a goalless home draw with Bafana Bafana and a 1-0 away loss to Ethiopia.

Chiefs final player on FIFA World Cup Qualifying duty is goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi who joins a star-studded Nigeria team including Napoli’s on-form striker Victor Osimhen.

Akpeyi himself will be hoping to get the nod to start ahead of the two other keepers in the squad, Cyprus based Francis Uzoho of AC Omonia, and Maduka Okoye who plays his club football for Sparta Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

The Super Eagles are top of Group C, with two wins from their opening two games against Liberia and Cape Verde. They will be aiming for the full complement of points when they face the Central African Republic, on October 7 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos and then in Bangui on the 10^th October for the return fixture at the Stade Barthelemy Boganda.

The ten group winners from the African Qualifying rounds will move onto the next phase of qualifying, which will see five teams divided into five two-legged play-off games, with the winners of those qualifying for next year’s tournament in Qatar.

Bafana Bafana have reached the FIFA World Cup three times previously in 1998, 2002 and on home soil in 2010, while Zimbabwe will be targeting a maiden appearance at the global showpiece. Nigeria will be looking to reach four FIFA World Cups in succession for the first time and will be hoping to qualify for the seventh time overall.

Furthermore, Kaizer Chiefs analyst Mark Davy has once again been invited to join the Bafana technical team for the qualifiers.

Chiefs wish all their players on international duty the best of luck, as well as coach Hugo Broos and his Bafana Bafana squad in their vital clashes with Ethiopia.