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Banyana braced for Games draw

BANYANA Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza will find out tomorrow just who his side's opponents will be at the 2012 London Olympic Games when the draw for the football tournament takes place.

The SA women's team is competing in a historic first senior Fifa finals having come through a qualification campaign that included wins over Zambia, Tunisia and Ethiopia.

Banyana are one of 12 sides in the women's competition, with teams split into three groups, each containing four countries. The top two nations in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best-ranked third-place finishers.

Unlike the men's event, which features under-23 teams, the women's tournament consists of the full national sides. Eight of the top 10 women's nations in the Fifa rankings have qualified, making this as close to a World Cup competition as you will see outside of the main event.

Banyana are the lowest-ranked side at No65 in the latest Fifa women's rankings, with fellow qualifiers Cameroon next on the list at No52.

Safa has sent a delegation for the draw that includes president Kirsten Nematandani, Mkhonza and team manager Fran Hilton-Smith.

The 12 teams are Great Britain, Japan, North Korea, SA, Cameroon, US, Canada, Brazil, Colombia, New Zealand, Sweden and France.

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