South Africa’s Banyana Banyana must beat Burkina Faso in their final Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Group B match to keep their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals alive, goalkeeper Kaylin Swart says the contest will be “a real battle”.
The match will kick off at 22:00 South African time, with both teams under pressure to secure the result required to progress from what has been described as the tournament’s “group of death”.
South Africa are bottom of Group B with one point from their opening two matches. Burkina Faso are third, two points ahead of them. In the group’s other fixture, leaders Cote d’Ivoire, who have four points, will face Tanzania, who are second on three points.
For South Africa to qualify for the quarter-finals, they must defeat Burkina Faso and then hope Cote d’Ivoire achieve the same result against Tanzania in the other Group B match, which will begin at the same time.
Swart acknowledged that the team had not expected the qualification situation to become so demanding but insisted the squad remained ready for the challenge.
“I believe we had not realised how much effort it would take to get to where we are. Mentally, we did not expect it. Tomorrow is a new battle and we are ready,” said Swart.
The goalkeeper said South Africa could not afford to dwell on their previous results, with the team needing to focus entirely on the decisive game against Burkina Faso.
“We cannot talk about the past; we have to focus on this match. We will have to give everything to get a result. Our morale has never dropped, despite the results.”
South Africa’s position means they face a difficult route through the final round of group matches. While victory would give them the best possible chance of advancing, their progress will also depend on the outcome of the simultaneous meeting between Cote d’Ivoire and Tanzania.
Swart said the pressure could ultimately help both sides produce their best football, even though she expects a tightly contested encounter.
“I am looking forward to it because it will be a real battle, in what is called the group of death. It will be a difficult match, and both teams will be under pressure, but sometimes it is precisely the pressure that pushes us to play well, because it is an integral part of the game,” she said.
Only the top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals. The winners of the quarter-finals will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year.
That further raises the importance of the final Group B fixtures, with South Africa needing both a win against Burkina Faso and a favourable result in the other match to continue their campaign.
