SOUTH Africa's bid to qualify for the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada will begin in the middle of next year in the Comoros lslands or Mozambique.

Banyana Banyana have been given a bye through the first round of qualifiers and will have to await the identity of their opponents in the second round, according to the draw released by the Confederation of African Football this week.

They will play a two-legged tie in May and June against the winner of the first-round clash between the Comoros and Mozambique, with the winner then qualifying for the eight-team African Women's Championship, which will take place in Namibia in October and November.

The top three finishers at the championship in Windhoek will secure places at Canada 2015.

South Africa were runners-up at the last event, losing in the final to hosts Equatorial Guinea.

But Banyana Banyana have never qualified for the women's World Cup, coming agonisingly close on occasion before falling at the final hurdle.

Africa have been granted an extra third place at the tournament in Canada, which has been expanded from 16 to 24 teams, greatly enhancing South Africa's chances of finally making it to the elite field.

Their toughest opponents will be Equatorial Guinea, whose side is packed with Brazilian mercenaries; Ghana and Nigeria, who are the only African country who have played at every one of the past women's World Cups.

Caf said there had been a record 25 entries for the African qualifiers, as women's football continues to develop across the continent.

Neighbours Botswana and Zimbabwe are also participating but there were no entries from Lesotho or Swaziland.