Banyana Banyana will now shift their attention to the FIFA Women’s World Cup play-offs in Morocco next month after cruising into the third round of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifiers with a convincing 7-0 aggregate victory over Madagascar.
The Desiree Ellis-coached side completed their dominant performance with a 3-0 victory over Madagascar in the second leg at the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday night, following their emphatic 4-0 win in the first leg.
The two victories have given the South African senior women’s national team a timely confidence boost as they prepare for the crucial FIFA Women’s World Cup play-offs, where they will face Chinese Taipei, Ecuador and Uzbekistan in Rabat, Morocco.
With a place at the World Cup at stake, Banyana will be looking to carry their scoring form and defensive solidity into the play-offs as they aim to secure another appearance on football’s biggest international stage.
Head coach Ellis believes the two wins over Madagascar have provided the team with the momentum needed ahead of the upcoming challenges.
“Winning gives you that confidence, keeping a clean sheet has the same effect as well, so these two wins were real morale boosters for us going into some very important games to give us that momentum.
“We know that we scored goals and we haven’t conceded, so it was a good exercise for us ahead of the FIFA World Cup play-offs which are around the corner,” said Ellis.
The coach will now turn her attention to preparing her squad for the Morocco assignment, where Banyana will need to be at their best against three different opponents as they pursue their World Cup ambitions.
While the immediate focus will be on the World Cup play-offs, Banyana will also have one eye on their Olympic Games qualification campaign, which resumes in February/March next year.
South Africa have been drawn against Angola in the third round after the latter eliminated Namibia 2-0 on aggregate.
Angola secured their passage with a 2-0 victory in the second leg after the first encounter ended in a goalless draw.
The upcoming fixtures mean Banyana face a demanding period, with the World Cup play-offs offering an immediate opportunity to advance their international ambitions before returning to the Olympic qualifying campaign next year.
Having scored seven goals without conceding against Madagascar, Ellis and her technical team will hope their players can maintain that winning mentality as they prepare for two important campaigns on the international stage.