Jane urges Banyana Banyana to seize advantage in opening Madagascar qualifier

Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane says South Africa must secure a positive first-leg result against Madagascar as they begin their bid to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games.

The two teams meet in a qualifying double-header at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, with the first match taking place on Friday and the return fixture scheduled for Tuesday 13 October. Both games will kick off at 18:00.

Jane said South Africa could not afford to make the qualification journey more difficult by failing to take control in the opening match.

“Well, it’s going to be important to make sure that in the first leg we do so well,” Jane told Safa.net.

“Get the important result because you don’t want to put yourself under pressure. We know we haven’t qualified for Olympics in such a long time, and the journey to qualifying is a very long one. So, we have to take it one game at a time.”

The qualifiers will be Banyana Banyana’s first competitive action since the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals and failed to secure automatic qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Desiree Ellis’ side received a bye into the second round of the Olympic qualifying campaign. Madagascar reached this stage after beating South Sudan, setting up the meeting with South Africa.

The 2022 Africa champions are seeking a stronger campaign after missing the last two Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris. They must also continue their efforts to qualify for the World Cup.

Jane believes reaching major tournaments would have an impact beyond the national team, creating further opportunities for the players and helping women’s football develop in South Africa.

“It’s important to qualify we know when we play in big tournaments, it opens more doors for the players and for the development of women’s football in our country.”