SOUTH Africa are set to assist long-time sporting foe Australia in their World Cup preparations and have been pencilled in to play a farewell match in Sydney at the end of May before the Socceroos go to Brazil.

Australia's national team say goodbye to their home fans in late May - expected to be either May 25 or 26 - before heading to the World Cup.

The game is widely touted to take place in Sydney, as opposed to Melbourne where Australia have traditionally played their farewell matches.

They played against Greece in 2006 and New Zealand four years ago and garnered massive crowds at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Football Federation of Australia has told reporters it will stage the game in any city where government will make the best commercial offer.

After the match the Australians will play two further warm-up matches in South America, either in Brazil or another country, before competing in their third successive World Cup, where their group rivals are world champions Spain, Chile and The Netherlands.

Australia are given little chance of progressing past the first stage.

Next month they face fellow World Cup qualifiers Ecuador on March 5 in London. SA play Brazil at FNB Stadium the same day.

Bafana Bafana last played in Australia in 1994, losing matches in Adelaide and Sydney.

The last game between Bafana and the Socceroos was at Loftus Road in London in 2008 when Siyabonga Nkosi and Teko Modise scored in a 2-2 draw.