The South African Football Association (SAFA) has announced that African champions Banyana Banyana will play an international friendly with European champions England later this year.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 29, at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and will be Banyana’s first outing since the friendlies against Senegal in June. It will also be used as part of preparation for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Banyana coach Dr Desiree Ellis is happy with the quality of the opposition saying, England will give her team a much-needed test.
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“This is a great opportunity for us as we continue with our preparations for WAFCON,” Ellis told Safa.net.
“It gives us time to really prepare well for this challenge to defend our WAFCON title. I’m also excited that the challenge of facing England, the European champions, will test us in a different way.
“We hope our fans in the UK will come out in numbers to support us. Lastly, a very big thank you to both SAFA and Sasol for their unwavering support and in getting us this top nation to test us as we continue with our preparations to defend our title in the WAFCON.”
The last time Banyana played the Lionesses was in 2010 at the Cyprus Women’s Cup, narrowly going down 1-0 courtesy of Jill Scott’s first-half strike.
