Despite being Africa's champions, South Africa is ranked 54th in the world and second on the continent, trailing 45th-ranked Nigeria.

On Saturday, the draw was held for the World Cup and Banyana are in Pool G, along with Sweden, Italy and Argentina.

The Swedes are currently the second-ranked team in the world, while the Le Azzurre are ranked 14th and the White and Sky-Blues are ranked 29th.

The Banyana Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, said she is happy with their draw, despite being grouped with two opponents they have never faced in the past.

"I think all the groups are tough, but I think it is a reasonable draw," said Ellis about their draw for the World Cup.

"We have played against Sweden before, but we have not played against Italy and Argentina. It could have been a tougher one, so we are happy with it.

"When it comes to Sweden, we have played against the Netherlands and they are similar. With regards to Argentina, we have played against Brazil and they are similar. Italy is from the same continent as the Netherlands, but maybe they are different types of teams.

"Now the planning starts, the preparation starts, the analysis of the teams and making sure that we have as much information as we can, and also getting the right friendlies."

The 2023 World Cup will be played from 20 July to 20 August.

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport