We could not have asked for better preparations - Kaylin Swart

The South Africans recently returned from a European tour, where they faced formidable opposition in Denmark and England, after earlier coming up against Senegal in June. 

Swart says the 42nd-ranked Reggae Girlz will also help in getting the team ready for next year’s continental competition, where they hope to defend the crown they won in 2022.

"We couldn't have asked for a better end to the season, especially with the national team. Jamaica is a really good team, we saw what they did at the 2023 World Cup – they surprised people, as much as we surprised everyone in the world too," said Swart.

"So it's going to be a really exciting game, a very different one because I think, tactically, we're kind of on the same progression, but also physicality is going to play a huge role – I hope my teammates are ready to hit the gym for the next three weeks.

"But I think it's going to be a good game for us to learn from, but also use the progression and lessons we learnt against Denmark and England, because come January or February, we need to be ready to go again.

"Our vision will be on WAFCON in June/July, and we want to be back-to-back champions, and for us to do that, we've got to go through this journey and make sure we have more positives coming off that field after 90 minutes, and build on the results and performances."

Swart says touring Europe was a huge learning experience, both on and off the field, as they came up against teams ranked 12th and second in the world.

"It was a great experience for us to be in Europe, I don't think we ever thought we would be touring Europe like that – playing in Denmark and then the UK, and both games were massive," she added.

"We learnt so much, not just from ourselves, but just in terms of where women's football is in Europe, and how these nations really take football seriously.

"I would love to see us close the gap a little bit more, and a little bit faster, but we've got to be patient and we've learnt so much. 

"We can only hope that in the next year or couple of months, when we're ready for WAFCON, you'll see a totally different team, and I can guarantee that you'll see not just African champions again, but us conquering the world pretty soon."

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