Fletcher Smythe-Lowe confident South Africa U23 can challenge at highest level

Fletcher Smythe-Lowe believes South Africa’s U23 squad has the quality and unity to make a strong impression as preparations begin for the CAF Olympic Games qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The 19-year-old goalkeeper is among the players promoted from the South Africa U20 team that recently won the U-20 COSAFA Championship. Smythe-Lowe, who is based in Portugal with Estoril, says the move to the U23 side represents an important stage in his development.

Speaking to reporters at Clapham High School, Smythe-Lowe said he had quickly settled into a squad whose players shared similar values and ambitions.

“I always love coming back home, it’s amazing, a new group of players for me and we have the same attitude, we really have the same values, this group has the potential to do special things,” he said.

The goalkeeper added that working with different players had helped him build experience and confidence, while the opportunity to represent the national team was an important step in his career.

“You gain experience with years of work, playing with different players, learning different things from your teammates. This obviously it’s a good step for me and my career and obviously I now feel confident that I can come to the national team and give something to help everyone. I think it’s a great opportunity.”

Smythe-Lowe welcomes increased demands

Smythe-Lowe also acknowledged that moving into the U23 set-up brought greater expectations, with discipline and consistent effort required at every training session.

“Obviously the first team all over the world comes with a different level of responsibility, discipline, you have to put in the work every single day and me being here with the other players shows that we’ve worked very hard and testament,” he said.

South Africa will test their progress with two friendly matches against Algeria this week as they prepare for the CAF Olympic Games qualifying campaign.

Smythe-Lowe said the squad was ready for the challenge of facing strong opposition and expressed confidence in the players assembled by the coach, who led the U20 side to victory in the COSAFA Championship.

“Before we can know that we can deal with these challenges, compete with these really difficult top level teams from other countries, we know the calibre of players we have here, so we have a lot of confidence and we can definitely compete at the highest level,” he said.

The goalkeeper’s promotion comes as part of a wider pathway from the successful U20 team to the U23 squad, with the players now being given the opportunity to build on that tournament success at a higher level.