The Banyana Banyana team is preparing for the start of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament in Morocco. The team's goal is to win a second African women's championship title in three tournaments, as well as qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
The South African national team is among the 16 participating countries. The four best teams in the tournament will guarantee themselves a spot in the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Coach Dezi Ellis is focused on maintaining the title won in 2022, but many players on the team are approaching significant personal milestones with the national team.
Midfielder Linda Motlalo is just one match away from reaching 100 appearances for Banyana Banyana, which will allow her to enter the elite group of South African international footballers. The player, based in Scotland, shared memories of the beginning of her journey under the guidance of former coach Vera Pau. According to the latest FIFA rankings, Sasol Banyana Banyana ranks 57th in the world ranking and 2nd in the CAF ranking in Africa.
Motlalo recounted that she first joined the senior national team at the age of 16 as a training player before making her debut against Cameroon in 2016. She noted that she did not experience difficulties because she remembered all the training sessions conducted in 2015 and understood that coach Vera knew when she was ready. Previously, the graduate of the High Performance Centre represented South Africa in two FIFA Women's World Cups and the Olympics, and also played a key role in Banyana's historic victory at WAFCON four years ago.
Her main goal now is to win another continental title. Motlalo stated that any team playing against them will give 120%, and she is confident in her team's readiness for any opponent. She emphasized the importance of the first match, as it sets the tone for the entire tournament. She also noted that the atmosphere in the camp is very good, and although the main focus is on the World Cup, the ultimate goal is to win gold regardless of the outcome.
Motlalo is not the only one approaching an important milestone. Gabriela Salgado needs only two matches to reach 50 games after an impressive return from a serious injury sustained at the previous WAFCON. Forward Hilda Magaia, whose brace in the 2022 final secured South Africa's first continental title, is only three matches away from this same milestone. Versatile defender Bongeka Gamede is also close to a significant achievement, needing six more matches to reach fifty caps for the national team.
However, these personal achievements will be secondary, as Banyana will begin its group stage with a match against Tanzania, followed by encounters with Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso. Since a place in the World Cup is also at stake, a successful campaign at WAFCON will strengthen South Africa's position among the continent's elite and add a new memorable chapter to one of the country's greatest football stories.
The Banyana Banyana team is actively preparing for its return to the Wafcon tournament with the goal of winning the continental trophy, which they won in Morocco in 2022.
Before the start of Wafcon 2026 in Morocco, the team has a clear objective: to secure a spot in the top four of the competition to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027, which will be held in Brazil. However, coach Disari Ellis admits that achieving this goal will not be easy.
Banyana Banyana will return to Morocco at the end of this month, striving to make up for lost time. In the previous tournament, the team showed a disappointing result, losing the title to their fierce rivals from Nigeria and finishing fourth overall. This result cast doubt on Ellis's future, especially after forward Jermaine Seoposenwe publicly criticized the coach for failing to protect the squad from administrative shortcomings by SAFA, particularly concerning player bonuses before major events.
Nevertheless, Ellis managed to overcome this turbulence and extend her contract. Given the lengthy negotiations regarding the new agreement, she enters the tournament with a strict mandate: to return to the Wafcon podium and secure her place in the next global event. During a press day at the AW Muller Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, Ellis emphasized that all team players are unanimously focused before departure.
Ellis stated: 'We had a meeting with the group and senior players, as we always do. They know what is at stake.' She added that she spoke with many players, and they all say the same thing: 'qualifying for the World Cup is the ultimate goal.' She also noted that past experience helps, and for other players, it will be their first time, so they need to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Ellis has formed a preliminary squad of 31 players, combining youth and experienced athletes, which will be reduced to 26 people before leaving for Morocco on Saturday. The coach expects every player to meet expectations. In 16 days, 16 countries will fight for African glory.
Speaking about the pressure, Ellis added: 'It is always hard to tell someone what to expect when you cannot predict how they will react to pressure. But we always preach the idea of how important it is to rise to a new level. Ultimately, 11 people take the field, but the entire squad must be ready to contribute.'
This trip marks Banyana's third participation in Wafcon in Morocco, following a victorious debut in 2022 and a poor performance last year. Thanks to this familiarity, Ellis hopes her team will easily adapt to the local conditions. She clarified that although they are not staying in the same locations as before (first time - Oudjda, second - Rabat, and now the base is in Casablanca), Morocco remains Morocco, just as South Africa is South Africa. The team is accustomed to the environment, knows it will be hot and conditions will be tough, but they are planning for it, so the departure is scheduled for Saturday to give them enough time to acclimatize.
Banyana desperately seeks to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, building on their debut in 2019 and successful playoff run in 2023. However, before looking towards Brazil, they must pass the Wafcon group stage and win the decisive quarter-final match. Ellis studied their group opponents: Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Côte d'Ivoire.
The coach analyzed the opponents, noting that Tanzania will likely want to play football, while Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire are very physical teams. She added that they have played against physical teams a lot over the past year, both at Wafcon and during qualifiers. The team knows that opponents will try to use long balls, and they are training intensively to counter this. Ellis concluded that despite all the preparation, football comes down to execution on match day. She reminded them that they always said that if they kept a 'clean sheet' (did not concede a goal), they would create chances, and now they need to be clinical in front of goal when those opportunities arise.
