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Sasol Banyana Banyana striker Thembi Kgatlana is excited that South Africa will be taking on a highly-ranked opposition like Japan in two international friendly matches scheduled for Saturday (6 June) and Tuesday (9 June) in Osaka.
The two games against Nadeshiko Japan, ranked fifth in the world, are part of preparations for next month’s CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026), which will be held in Morocco and will be used as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“I’m pretty excited and the team is also excited to be playing against Japan. We always want to play against the best teams in the world to measure ourselves and to see where the progress is, and how far we can get to where we want to be. There are things that we are working towards in preparation for WAFCON and I think it was important for us to play a highly ranked team like Japan so that we can prepare mentally, emotionally, physically as well as technically because they come in as a highly ranked team. It also means that we also have to see what we can get out of this game so that we can be able to arrive in the WAFCON in a better condition,” said Kgatlana.
“I love playing friendlies because you do not have the pressure of the result, but you have time to prepare and to plan. It gives us enough time to be able to see as players on how we feel, on what the coaches are proposing to us, and how we can be able to better fit as individuals in what the team needs.”
Kgatlana returns to the national team after missing out on the two international friendly matches against Algeria in April in Durban due injury. South Africa won both encounters.
Even though she was part of the COSAFA Women’s Championship squad earlier this year in Polokwane, where most senior players were on the sidelines with youngsters given a chance, this will be the first time the forward dons Banyana Banyana colours in 2026.
“It’s always an honour to represent the national team. I’ve been working a lot on coming back, I know football nowadays is a lot. We see the two games we have in Japan in two days, which is also a model that we’re going to use at WAFCON. I think I’m also privileged to be here joining the team to see how I’m going to adapt and how also the players are going to adapt in WAFCON,” added Kgatlana.
The clash between South Africa and Japan will kick off at 08h50 South African time and will be played at the Yanmar Hanasaka Stadium in Osaka. Banyana Banyana will have their final training session at the match venue on Friday.
SOURCED FROM SAFA WEBSITE.