The South African national team Banyana Banyana players, including Lebogang Ramalefe and Thami Kgatlana, are striving to inspire the team in the upcoming playoff race towards the World Cup.
The South African national team Banyana Banyana players, including Lebogang Ramalefe and Thami Kgatlana, are striving to inspire the team in the upcoming playoff race towards the World Cup.
The team's ambition to qualify for the 2027 World Cup remains unchanged, so they are putting forth all their effort in the playoffs, starting with the continental match on Thursday. Banyana, who finished second on the continent, arrived at the Wafcon tournament in Morocco as one of the favorites, but a slow start in the group stage raised doubts about their goals.
After advancing to the playoffs, these concerns were confirmed: Banyana failed to qualify directly for the World Cup, being eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 2-1 defeat to the host team, Atlas Lionesses. The team noted that their play demonstrated dominance despite the unfavorable outcome and emphasized the need to 'shake off, refocus, and come back stronger' to pass the next match.
Despite the disappointment and noticeable instability within the squad, Banyana continues its pursuit of a ticket to the global tournament in Brazil. The task will be challenging: the team must play an unfamiliar continental playoff match on Thursday against fierce rivals Nigeria at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Casablanca, and then strive for victories in the intercontinental playoffs later this year and in February.
In light of these difficulties, wing-back Lebogang Ramalefe explained that what the team needs is to capitalize on this second chance in the fight for World Cup qualification. She stated: 'Mental strength is required. As a team, we must clearly understand what we want. If we approach the next match with this mental strength, it's not lost yet. We must remain mentally sharp and treat the game like a final.'
The decision by coach Desiré Ellis to keep 16 players from the squad that won the Wafcon title in Morocco four years ago has been closely scrutinized, as critics expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of desire. However, Ramalefe objects, pointing to the evolution of the game. She believes the issue is not a lack of hunger, but that football has changed, and many teams have improved their level, approaching or surpassing them.
While there is criticism regarding keeping the old core group instead of allowing for evolution and novelty, senior player Bambanani Mbane asserts that the responsibility for the poor start and disappointing exit from Wafcon lies with the entire group. He admitted: 'I think from the beginning of the tournament we didn't do everything possible. It just wasn't our time. We need to pull ourselves together.'
The clash with long-time rivals, Super Falcons, in the continental playoffs will require Banyana to play their best. Mbane understands that they will have to work hard, especially in attack. He added: 'It will be a tough game, but most importantly, we need to score goals. It won't be easy.' He concluded that what happened is part of the game, where there is always a winner and a loser, and the team needs to move forward, focusing on the next match.
The Banyana Banyana team is required to defeat Burkina Faso, but even a triumph might not be enough as their further fate in the WAFCON tournament depends on the results of the match between Comoros and Tanzania.
Banyana Banyana coach, Desire Ellis, admits that qualification for the WAFCON quarter-finals is not entirely in their hands, so the team needs to do its part and rely on other results to achieve the goal.
On Tuesday evening (at 22:00 SAST), the Banyana team will face Burkina Faso in the Group B final at Mulai Rashid Stadium. This game is decisive after the team started the tournament sluggishly, losing to Tanzania and drawing with Comoros.
These previous results put the team in a difficult position, as they must beat Burkina Faso and hope for a favorable outcome in the match between Comoros and Tanzania, which will start simultaneously in Casablanca.
If both teams, Banyana and Comoros, win their matches, then Ellis's team will take second place in the group behind their West African rivals, which will secure a spot in the top two and passage to the quarter-finals.
Reaching the round of 16 is paramount for Banyana, as it will allow them to remain on track for the third consecutive Women's World Cup—either through the semi-finals or through tense playoffs if they reach the quarter-finals.
Before the match, Ellis stated that she understands the danger posed by Burkina Faso but expressed confidence in the sufficient depth of the squad to fight well and achieve the desired result.
"All games in the tournament are different, and this is no exception," said Ellis. "They have demonstrated their quality and organization, but we must focus on ourselves." She added: "We know what we have to do: we must win the game. That is the most important thing. We can only control what is in our hands. If we win the game with a sufficient number of goals, we give ourselves a strong chance of advancing."
The pressure has not eased, nor has their belief. The team has prepared for this and knows what is expected of it, as explained by confident @amogelang_motau before the Banyana Banyana vs. Burkina Faso match.
Considering that the group table also takes into account head-to-head results, Banyana will also advance to the quarter-finals if both they and Tanzania win, provided they score a large number of goals against Burkina Faso and Comoros.
Since the team conceded goals in both matches—amid changes in the squad, with Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart taking starting positions—Ellis understands that her team needs to be very solid in defense and ruthless in attack.
"We have shown what we are capable of and demonstrated our resilience. Therefore, we must build on that and aim for a clean sheet," concluded Ellis. "We have not been ahead in this tournament yet, so we need to change that and score first."
Banyana Banyana defender Karabo Dlamini discussed the pressure South Africa is facing ahead of the decisive match at the Women's Africa Cup (WAFCON) against Côte d'Ivoire, which will take place in Casablanca.
Despite an early group exit following an unexpected defeat, Dlamini refuses to panic. Ahead of the upcoming match, which is crucial for victory, she emphasized that the only way to cope with the physical strength of West African players is through flawless execution of a pre-designed game plan.
Banyana lost the first match of Group B 2-1 to Tanzania, which was a serious blow to the team's confidence at the start of the tournament and jeopardized their chances of qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The teams need to show resilience to overcome 'Les Éléphantes' (The Elephants), who are in first place in the group after defeating Burkina Faso in their opening match.
Banyana will be very attentive not only to the danger of elimination in the next round but also to qualification for the upcoming World Cup, as only the top four WAFCON teams will qualify for this major event.
Dlamini noted that the responsibility for the result now rests on the South African team. She stated: 'I think there is really pressure because they won their match, so I feel like they have momentum, and we still need to correct things.' She added: 'So the pressure is on us because we cannot afford to drop any points. As players, we know it won't be easy, but we will do our best.'
The physical conditioning of the Ivorian players requires Banyana to meet that level if they hope to win within 90 minutes. The West African squad presents a formidable force on the field, but Dlamini believes the team has the potential for success.
Dlamini also stressed the need for improvement: 'I think it won't be easy, but it's a tournament. Teams have improved, and I think we need to improve too. They are physically strong, they have fast players, and they are tough. We just need a game plan, and we need to focus more on how we approach this game.'
Lind Molthalo said that the loss was not the start they hoped for, but finding solutions to problems is the only way forward. Molthalo stated: 'We understand that not everything will go according to our plan. But the most important thing is to show resilience. It is a long tournament. Many matches will be played.'
The match between Banyana Banyana and Côte d'Ivoire is scheduled for Friday at 19:00 in Casablanca.
The head coach of the Banyana Banyana team, Disari Ellis, expresses confidence that her national team is capable of recovering and qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup, despite an unexpected 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in the first match of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) group stage.
On Monday in Casablanca, Tanzania secured its first victory at WAFCON, leaving Banyana with no room for error ahead of Friday's match against Côte d'Ivoire. During the game in Casablanca, South Africa held second place for a long time.
The loss means that Ellis's team has to catch up with the group leaders, as only the top four teams in the tournament guarantee themselves a spot in next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Despite the disappointment with the result and the performance, Ellis emphasized that attention has already shifted to the next meeting.
Ellis stated: 'I think everyone is disappointed with the result and the game, but we must look forward because we are still in the game.' She added that the team is still aiming for the World Cup and believes the next match is a must-win. South Africa will face Côte d'Ivoire, which is showing high confidence after a convincing 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso, rising to first place in Group B.
The coach expects a serious test from one of West Africa's traditional heavyweights. Ellis noted: 'Obviously, we talked about how important this match [against Tanzania] was. Now we are chasing in the group, so it is up to us to raise our standards and show who we really are.' She also warned about the difficulty of the opponent: 'Côte d'Ivoire will be another big challenge... another physical West African team.'
Despite the unsuccessful performance against Tanzania, Ellis sees encouraging signs that can be utilized before the decisive match on Friday. Banyana improved their play after the break and created enough chances, indicating their ability to change the course of the campaign.
'The positive aspects we can take from the game against Tanzania are that we created chances,' she said. She also suggested: 'I thought we played better with the ball in the second half, but we know how well we can play with the ball.'
The experienced coach admitted that defensive shortcomings ultimately proved critical, as Tanzania capitalized on South Africa's uncharacteristic errors. 'There are some weak points in defense that we can still tighten up, because we could have played better on both goals conceded.'
Now Ellis hopes that her experienced squad will respond to this setback as was characteristic of most of her coaching tenure. A victory over Côte d'Ivoire will not only revive Banyana's hopes of reaching the playoffs but also put the team back on track to achieve its main goal—qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. However, any other outcome will jeopardize South Africa's campaign before the final match of Group B.
