The South African Football Association (SAFA) on Tuesday announced that Banyana Banyana will play Japan in two international friendlies in June.
The first match is scheduled for 6 June at Nagai Ballgame Field in Osaka while the second one will follow three days later at the J-Green Sakai also in Osaka.
The friendlies are part of the team’s preparations for the 2026 edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament to be held in June in Morocco following the shifts of dates from March.
The 2022 African champions have been drawn in Group B at the event with Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Tanzania.
The last time the side was in action was at the 2025 COSAFA Women’s Championship in Polokwane earlier this month, where they finished second behind first-time regional winners Namibia.
In a statement, the Association also said they are also looking to secure two more friendlies for the Desiree Ellis-led side in April against a yet to be confirmed opponent.
Meanwhile, this has been considered a high-profile friendly by some people looking at Japan’s fifth ranking in the FIFA Women’s rankings and Banyana’s 59th spot on the global charts.
In previous meetings between the sides, Japan has enjoyed some dominance defeating Banyana 2-0 in November 2019 while they played to a goalless draw at the London Olympics games in 2012.
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