Kakuva excited about Gladiators fixture

Football
Brave Gladiators are eager to extend their current form into the next important matches they are set to play.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
  • 13 Hours Ago

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) last week conducted the draw for the African qualifying phase of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament at its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

Namibia’s Brave Gladiators have been drawn against Angola in the first round of the qualifiers, with matches scheduled to take place between 5 and 13 October 2026.

Head coach Lucky Kakuva has welcomed the draw, expressing confidence in his squad ahead of the encounter.

“I think we are in good form following our COSAFA tournament victory, and we are looking forward to this match,” said Kakuva.

“The players are in good spirits, and we will go out and play our best football against Angola.

“There are huge expectations from the fans, and we have to target qualification for the tournament,” he told Sport Wrap.

The qualification campaign will consist of five rounds, with only two teams securing places to represent Africa at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, scheduled for 11 to 29 July.

A total of 35 national teams are participating in the qualifiers, including Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Kakuva emphasised the importance of thorough preparation ahead of the fixtures.

“We will have top-notch preparations ahead of these matches,” he said.

“The good thing is that I know the players well, so it will not be difficult to select a strong squad.

“We have also been aided by the fact that the Women’s Super League is ongoing, which is helping to keep the players match-fit.”