The Eagles resume their pursuit of a historic first appearance at the global football showpiece when they take on Comoros at the Berkane Municipal Stadium on March 20th.
After four matches, Mali has collected just five points, placing them fourth in Group I - four points behind leaders Comoros and Ghana.
Despite this, Belgian tactician, who took over from Eric Chelle in 2024, remains optimistic about his team's chances of qualifying for the tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
While stressing the importance of assembling players who understand the stakes, he insists his 'quality' team must give their all to make history.
"The situation was a bit chaotic when I took over, but I have faith in my federation and my staff to make this a reality," the 51-year-old told Flashscore.
"We need players who understand that qualifying for the FIFA World Cup is a life-changing opportunity, and we must give our all to make it a reality.
"I still believe in the quality of my team, and together, we will develop and make history.
"We fear no one, but we will never underestimate anyone. We're already four points behind Comoros and two points behind Madagascar.
"Sitting fourth in the standings, we have only two home games remaining, with the rest of our matches away."
Before his current role, Saintfiet had managed Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo, and Gambia - coaching the latter from 2018 to 2024 and leading them to the 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Since taking charge of the Malian team, he has remained unbeaten, and he is relying on this record to break their longstanding jinx.
He added: "I did my first six games with Mali, we won four and drew twice – that’s not a bad start I think because we didn’t lose. We conceded only one goal in those games."
Mali came close to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup but were eliminated by Tunisia in the playoff. After losing 1-0 at home to the Carthage Eagles, they could only manage a 0-0 draw in the return leg played in Tunis.
Saintfiet - who affirms his knowledge of the Malian national team - also believes that with the right structure in place, the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations hosts will reclaim their rightful place in African football.
"I have been in Africa for a long time and I played three times against Mali so I know the team very well," he continued.
"I always admire the team and I thought they would play at the Qatar World Cup when they played the play-off against Tunisia.
"I think they have the potential to be among the best four African teams in Africa. We have great players who play in Europe. All we need is a stable structure. If we work very hard, we will qualify for the World Cup."
Four days after facing Comoros, the Eagles will travel to Casablanca for another challenging match against the Central African Republic.
The winner of Group I will secure direct qualification for the World Cup, while the runners-up could potentially enter the second round to compete for a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs.
Saintfiet began his coaching career in the 1997/1998 season, shortly after retiring from playing. His first coaching opportunity came at FC Zammel, a club in his home country, where he stayed for just one season.
His first experience in Africa came in 2000 when he joined Satellite d'Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire. The Belgian is known for transforming lesser-known teams into formidable forces.
