South Africa’s women’s national football team, Banyana Banyana, head coach Desiree Ellis recognizes Nigeria as a formidable force in African football.

Ellis expressed her sentiments ahead of their clash in the first leg of the 2024 Olympic Games final round qualifier.

The reigning African champions are set to face their long-standing rivals on April 5 at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in the first-leg of a double header.

After the initial encounter in Abuja, action will then shift to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria for the return fixture just four days later.

Ellis emphasized the challenging atmosphere that Nigerian fans can create, anticipating a tough test for her Banyana Banyana side.

“It might be hostile and we know how passionate the fans of Nigeria are — we need that experience to get over this hurdle,” she told SABC.​

“It will be a tough match because they haven’t been in the Olympics since 2008 and their team has changed a bit since we last played them (at the 2022 WAFCON).

“They’re still one of the best teams on the continent. They’ve been serial winners (Nigeria have won 11 of 14 WAFCON titles) and have been consistent over the past few years. We’re in the same bracket but we’ve got to be consistent.”

The overall winners of the tie will join Brazil, Japan, and world champions Spain in Group C at Paris 2024.