Rio 2016: Hope for South Africa in Clash with Sweden

Today, the South African Olympic Team, Banyana Banyana will play against Sweden at the Olympic Stadium in the first event of the 2016 Rio games.

The two teams are not strangers to each other. In the 2012 London games, the South Africans were put in the same group as Sweden, Japan, and Canada. They lost their matchup against Sweden by 4-1.

In what summed up to be a disappointing campaign, the Banyana Banyana finished last in the group. Meanwhile, Sweden finished first and went on to lose to France in the quarter-finals.

Reportedly, in their previous meet, Sweden was ranked 4th in the world while South Africa was ranked at a distant 61.

Today, according to the FIFA world rankings; Sweden is at 6^th and South Africa at 52^nd. Unmistakably, the Banyana Banyana may have improved, but the gap between the two teams is still significant. And a win for the South Africans will be a tall order.

But these are the Olympics and stranger things have happened. Anything can happen tonight, there is hope for the Banyana Banyana and that’s why we love the Olympics.

Featured Photo: The South African Womens Soccer Team (Photo Credit: Confederation of African Football)