Banyana Banyana will face DR Congo in the first leg of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualifiers at the Stade des Martyrs today at 16hrs CAT. 

After suffering an early elimination at the just-ended 2023 Cosafa Women’s Championship with a selection of locally based players only, Banyana Banyana will seek to kick-start their women’s Olympic campaign on a positive note. 

Head coach Desiree Ellis said the team will fight to pick up a positive result in Kinshansa.

“We are really looking forward to the game; despite this place being hot, we will be ready for the game.

“It’s a big game and it’s an away game for us. We are looking to get a positive result to make the home league easier. But we know it’s not going to be easy,” Ellis told the media in Kinshasa.

The reigning CAF African Female Coach of the Year award winner is aware of Congo’s capabilities.

“They [DR Congo] had a very good result against Benin. So we know it’s going to be a difficult game, but I feel we have enough in our team to be able to get a positive result.”

Banyana Banyana seeking a return to the Olympics

The last time The South African women’s national team qualified for the Olympic Games women’s football tournament was in 2016.

They will look to return to the tournament following their round-of-16 finish at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Banayana Banyana’s return leg against Congo in the qualifiers will be played at Orlando Stadium on October 30, 2023.

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They missed out on the last Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021, where Zamnbia was Africa’s sole representative.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will run from July 24 to August 10, 2024, and only two countries will represent Africa at the competition.