South Africa in line to host The Women’s Cup in 2025

The news was broken by the CEO of the tournament, John Paul Reynal speaking from the USA in an exclusive interview with SABC Sport. Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have been invited to the 2024 edition of the event in Missouri next month and are in the same group as Kansas City Current (USA), Atletico de Madrid (Spain) and INAC Kobe (Japan). The public broadcaster has been reliably informed that negotiations are at an advanced stage and the deal is close to being signed and sealed.

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''We have not finalised the deal but the intention is that The Women's Cup has to come to South Africa in 2025, we really feel that the African continent is the next big place for women's football. You already see it with the amazing African ladies playing in big leagues in Europe, and women's football that side continues to grow. That is why we feel it is so important for The Women's to be played in Africa,'' said Reynal.

Reynal says it was a no-brainer when it came to selecting the first African team to take part in the sought-after tournament, as Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies’ record stood out.

 ''It is the first African team to go play in the Women's Cup and to play in the US. So it is a huge moment, it all started because we wanted to have an African club participate in the tournament and we contacted Mamelodi Sundowns because they have a better record over most African teams, we found them through Roc nations,'' added Reynal.

Sundowns Ladies have over the last few years been flying the South African flag high on the continent, now they get to do it on the international stage with immense benefits, as the CEO explains.

''First of all, they will get global visibility. They will be seen and watched in every continent, they will get the kind of exposure they have got before, they play against the best teams in the world. They will get experience on and off the field, and I think they might be the surprise of the tournament even though they will have a tough first match against Kansa City,'' he concluded.

Reynal also took time to explain to SABC Sport the origins of The Women’s Cup to be where it is today…

 The CEO believes that with the Women’s Cup, they have answered a question on everyone’s lips about global competition for clubs in women’s football, which was unheard of before.

 Sundowns Ladies and Kansas City Current will face off in the one match, while Vissel Kobe of Japan and Spain’s Atletico Madrid will lock horns in the other fixture. The winners in the two games will meet in the final, while the losers will battle it out for third place.