SA U23 preparations in full swing ahead of Madagascar clash in Olympic qualifiers

11 November 2026 – The South African U23 Men’s National team’s preparations are in full swing as they get ready to face Madagascar in a two-legged Olympic Games qualifier at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Saturday (14 November) and Tuesday (17 November).

The South Africans have already had two training sessions in Pretoria with Head Coach Raymond Mdaka emphasizing the importance of these qualifiers.

“We hope to do as much as we can to make sure that we qualify for the Olympics and we have shared with the boys that this could also be a once in a lifetime opportunity they might not get again and at least (being there) is a good representation of who you are as a player, so this is a motivation to the whole team,” said Mdaka.

“Madagascar is very closed book. We tried with everyone (to get information), including our senior team analyst, because Madagascar was not there in 2024 when we were playing COSAFA in Mozambique, and this is their age group. We checked everywhere we thought we could find something, but they remain a closed book. Other than that, we always have a way as the technical team and coaches to at least find something, there will always be a way out.”

Mdaka has assembled the cream of the crop of South African football and has kept the bulk of the team that faced Algeria in two friendly matches in Bloemfontein early last month.

“With the kind of talent that we have, we will always have a challenge, it will always be difficult to come up with your 23 players, but we have a pool. I think that the preliminary group that we always put up is helping us to juggle around, and we always try to find players that are playing regularly, players that have got minutes. Others got injured but at the same time that pool is helping us juggle around,” added Mdaka.

“We are also looking at competence, to say how good are they, and how much they are doing in their own teams. Some of them might not be getting minutes and that you want to justify but at the same time it’s better sometimes to stay with what you know than something that you don’t know.”

The South Africa vs Madagascar clash is one of several around the continent where countries are fighting for a place in the third round of the qualifiers in March next year, which will lead to the CAF U23 AFCON that will feature only eight teams.

The top two nations at the tournament will represent Africa at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

CAF U-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2027 – 2^nd Round Fixtures:

Madagascar vs South Africa

• 1^st Leg: Madagascar vs South Africa – Saturday, 14 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: South Africa vs Madagascar – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Equatorial Guinea vs Niger

• Cancelled: Both legs cancelled following Equatorial Guinea’s withdrawal.
• Niger qualify automatically for the third round.

Burkina Faso vs Zambia

• 1^st Leg: Burkina Faso vs Zambia – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Zambia vs Burkina Faso – Sunday, 15 November 2026

DR Congo vs Nigeria

• 1^st Leg: DR Congo vs Nigeria – Friday, 13 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Nigeria vs DR Congo – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Libya vs Ghana

• 1^st Leg: Libya vs Ghana – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Ghana vs Libya – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Tunisia vs Gabon

• 1^st Leg: Tunisia vs Gabon – Thursday, 12 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Gabon vs Tunisia – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Kenya vs Côte d’Ivoire

• 1^st Leg: Kenya vs Côte d’Ivoire – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Côte d’Ivoire vs Kenya – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

South Sudan vs Senegal

• 1^st Leg: South Sudan vs Senegal – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Senegal vs South Sudan – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Ethiopia vs Morocco

• 1^st Leg: Ethiopia vs Morocco – Thursday, 12 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Morocco vs Ethiopia – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Rwanda vs Cameroon

• 1^st Leg: Rwanda vs Cameroon – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Cameroon vs Rwanda – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Angola vs Congo

• 1^st Leg: Angola vs Congo – Thursday, 12 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Congo vs Angola – Sunday, 15 November 2026

Botswana vs Guinea

• 1^st Leg: Botswana vs Guinea – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Guinea vs Botswana – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Eswatini vs Algeria

• 1^st Leg: Eswatini vs Algeria – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• Second Leg: Algeria vs Eswatini – Monday, 16 November 2026

Zimbabwe vs Mali

• 1^st Leg: Zimbabwe vs Mali – Wednesday, 11 November 2026
• 2^nd Leg: Mali vs Zimbabwe – Tuesday, 17 November 2026

Source: Original report at SAFA.