The head coach of Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, announced the final list of 26 players to participate in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026, which will take place in Morocco this month.
The defender from The University of the Western Cape, Antonia Maponya, has been included in the final squad. Although the core of the team retains experienced players, Sibulele Holweni was the most notable exclusion from the preliminary list of 31 players.
Ellis maintained the integrity of the goalkeeping unit, keeping Andile Dlamini, Kaylin Swart, and Kebotseng Moletsane in their positions. Dlamini and Swart are expected to compete for the starting goalkeeper position.
In the defensive line, the team includes Lebogang Ramalephe, Phikile Magamu, Karabo Dlamini, Bambanani Mbane, Hutso Phila, Asanda Khadebe, Antonia Maponya, and Lonatemba Mkhlongo. Tisetso Makubela, Sinegugu Zondi, and Shakira O'Malley were excluded.
In the midfield, Ellis preferred to keep familiar faces, including Refiloe Jane, Bongeka Gamede, Linda Motlhalo, Isabella Ludwig, Nonhlanhla Mtandi, Amogelang Motau, Noksolo Sesane, as well as the duo Robin and Gabriel Mudali-Salgado.
Furthermore, Simone Saul and Holweni did not make the final squad. Holweni's absence is particularly significant given her long history with Banyana. The team will also play without Jermaine Seoposenwe, but Ellis called up Thembi Kgatlana, Hilda Magaia, Ntabiseng Majiya, Ronnela Donnelly, and Zoe October, with October being the youngest player on the team, born in 2008.
Bonolo Mokoma from JVW Ladies also failed to make the squad that will represent Banyana in the tournament, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.
Ellis presented the squad at the headquarters of the team's main sponsor, Sasol, in Sandton. Banyana is preparing to fly to its base city of Casablanca on Saturday, where players abroad will join them.
England defeated France 6-4 in the third-place match of the FIFA World Cup, thereby winning the bronze medal. The game took place in Miami.
In the first half, England took a confident lead thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Bukayo Saka, who scored twice in the first half.
After the break, France managed to reduce the deficit with goals from Kylian Mbappé, Bradley Barcola, and another goal from Mbappé. Nevertheless, England maintained its advantage and secured the victory.
Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick closer to the end of the match, and Jude Bellingham scored England's sixth goal in added time. In the final minutes, Ousmane Dembélé scored a goal for France.
Argentina and Spain will meet in the World Cup final on July 19. Argentina is the reigning world champion.
Despite a 45-minute delay in the match, the Junior Springboks managed to defeat France 16-5 in the U20 Rugby World Cup final, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday evening.
The Junior Boks retained their title by securing a tense victory over the French team. This win extended their unbeaten streak in the tournament to 11 games and marked their first victory over Les Bleus since 2019.
This success marks the first time South Africa has combined victories in two consecutive senior World Cup tournaments with two consecutive junior titles. This brings them closer to France's record of three consecutive junior world cup championships.
Earlier on Saturday, the Springboks had beaten Wales. Early in the game, Yakin Ahmed calmed nerves by converting a penalty in the eighth minute. However, the slippery pitch made the first half a battle full of errors.
During the match, France attempted to score through Romeo Bonnard Martin, but the goal was disallowed due to an infringement by South African fullback Alzeadon Felix. Ahmed then doubled the lead by converting a long-range penalty in the final minutes of the first half, allowing them to go into halftime with a 6-0 advantage.
The French were able to respond six minutes into the second half when Raphael Odebert went out of bounds, narrowing the gap to 6-5. Tension mounted when Samuel Badenhorst saw a South African touchdown disallowed for ball contact, but the breakthrough came in the 66th minute.
Marcus Müller, using a powerful maul, chose an excellent trajectory and managed to break through for a try, which Ahmed converted. Towards the end of the match, attempts by Cheswell Joste and Ahmed were rejected by the referees, but a decisive penalty from Ahmed for a high tackle secured a memorable and very hard-fought victory for the Junior Boks.
Peter-Steph du Toit, who served as the reserve captain for the Springboks, shared his impressions of seeing brothers Kobus and Jasper Wieße play together for South Africa for the first time. He called this moment special after the world champions secured a convincing 43-0 victory over Wales in the Nations Championship at Kings Park on Saturday.
The combination of the Wieße brothers immediately had a strong impact on the game: Kobus made a powerful run through the center of the field, then passed the ball to Jasper, who scored the first try less than five minutes into the match.
Du Toit, who previously played alongside his brother Johan, understands the significance of this event. He noted: 'I think it is an incredible privilege because I also played with my brother in the past.' He added that the opportunity to play with brothers for the Springboks is a huge honor, and the brothers' parents, as well as the brothers themselves, should be proud of each other.
Du Toit emphasized that both Wieße brothers put forth tremendous effort to reach their level. He mentioned that they had the chance to play together last year, but circumstances were different, and today it finally happened.
Despite Du Toit leading a different starting lineup in each of the three Springboks games in the Nations Championship, he stated that his leadership style remained unchanged. He explained that he tries to stick to what works for him: 'I just try to stick to what works for me. I go out there, participate in as many battles as possible, and give everything I can. We have many experienced players in this squad, so I don't feel the need to change who I am.'
Springboks are now shifting their focus to Argentina, where they will begin the away leg of their Nations Championship campaign before facing their greatest rugby rivalry against New Zealand in subsequent matches.
