By Michael Madyira
Banyana Banyana knows what awaits them if they qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games following Wednesday’s draw – an encounter with world champions Spain.
Desiree Ellis’s girls are still looking to book a ticket for the Olympics to be staged in Paris from 26 July to 11 August.
The prospect of facing the world’s number-one team is no doubt exciting for the Banyana coach and her team.
If Banyana makes it to the games, they will be in Group C, facing reigning world champions Spain, and also Japan and Brazil.
But they first have to deal with Nigeria when they visit the West Africans for the 5 April away leg in the final Olympics qualifier.
They will then host the Super Falcons four days later at Loftus Versfeld in this swim-or-sink battle standing between them and a return to the Olympics, where they last appeared in 2016.
In reaching the final qualifying stage, Banyana saw off challenges by DR Congo and Tanzania in earlier rounds.
Nigeria got past Ethiopia and Cameroon, with the victory against the latter being a close shave.
While Ellis’s focus is on the Super Falcons, she could already have one eye on France where the team will be put to the sternest test if they qualify.
Another Group C side, Brazil, beat South Africa emphatically in back-to-back international friendly matches in September 2022.
The South American champions thumped Banyana 3-0 at Orlando Stadium before pumping in half a dozen goals without reply at Moses Mabhida Stadium a few days later for a 9-0 aggregate scoreline.
Pictured above: Banyana Banyana players at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Image source: Fifa
