Mali coach Patrice Carteron has revealed he will announce his final 23-man for the Africa Cup of Nations on 9 January, CAF's deadline day.
The Frenchman will name a provisional 27-man squad for the Eagles camping in the Malian capital of Bamako.
"We will meet on January 5 to Bamako. I will call twenty-seven players, and I will announce my list of twenty-three on January 9," Carteron said.
"We will play a friendly match against a local side on the 8 January and leave for South Africa the next day where we will play another friendly match on 15 or 16 January against a local club."
Mali open their campaign in Group B Niger before playing Ghana and DR Congo.
The Eagles finished third at the 2012 finals co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.