SA survive group-stage scare to set up Wafcon quarterfinal with Morocco

Banyana Banyana secured their place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over a gutsy Burkina Faso in what was a must-win encounter at Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on 4 August.

It was their final Group B fixture, yet South Africa’s fate was not entirely in their hands. They also needed Ivory Coast to defeat Tanzania in the group’s other fixture – any other result would have sent Banyana home.

The Ivorians delivered, dispatching Tanzania 2-1 in a match played simultaneously in Casablanca and ensuring SA could progress.

Banyana will take on hosts Morocco in the quarterfinals in Rabat on Saturday, 8 August. It is a fixture that harkens back to the blockbuster final in 2022 when Banyana defeated Morocco 2-1 in Rabat to claim their maiden continental crown.

Prior to 2022, SA finished as bridesmaids on five previous occasions at Wafcon. 

In contrast, Morocco are playing in only their fifth tournament, but the Atlas Lionesses have rapidly emerged as a continental force, finishing runners-up in 2022 and 2024.

The North African side have built their campaign on solid defence and an aggressive press. They remain unbeaten in this edition with two wins and a draw, and have yet to concede a goal.

Meanwhile, SA will look to rely on their pace in transition and attacking quality. They have shown time and again that they have the ability to rise to the occasion – especially because a spot in the semi-finals is not the only prize on offer. The four quarterfinal winners will also secure automatic qualification for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Missed opportunities against Burkina Faso

Head coach Desiree Ellis turned to experience for the decisive encounter, starting the match with Kaylin Swart, Bambanani Mbane, Refiloe Jane, Linda Motlhalo, Hildah Magaia, Noxolo Cesane and Thembi Kgatlana. 

Burkina Faso made the brighter start and could have taken an early lead when Alimata Bélem found herself through on goal. Instead of netting the ball, however, she hesitated, allowing Swart to gather the ball at her feet.  

Gradually SA settled into the contest and almost broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Isabella Ludwig connected with a cross, only to see her header drift narrowly wide.

Three minutes later, however, Banyana found the breakthrough. 

A well-worked move involving Fikile Magama ended with Kgatlana calmly finishing from close range to score what would prove the decisive goal.

After that SA’s focus shifted to protecting the lead. While Ellis lauded her team’s defence, she admitted they became complacent after going ahead. 

“I said it was going to be a different challenge, it was going to be a difficult game. And I think we made it a little difficult for ourselves,” said Ellis after the match. “We scored early; we stopped playing. Then we got another chance; we stopped playing. We knew on the transition that we needed to be organised, and we almost gave it away just after half-time. 

“But, we’ve got to give credit to the players. It wasn’t pretty, sometimes it doesn’t have to be pretty. We stuck defensively and we were organised. We had one or two half chances that could have put the game to bed. But [Burkina Faso] played very well. 

“So for tonight, we will celebrate getting out of the group, and we will worry about the rest tomorrow.” 

Slow start 

This was a must-win encounter for Banyana after a slow start almost derailed their campaign. 

Banyana Banyana insiders to whom Daily Maverick has spoken over the past few months have painted a picture of division within the team. SA’s shock 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their opening match on 27 July only further fanned these flames. 

Finding themselves in a precarious position, Banyana kept their Wafcon hopes alive in their second fixture, fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Ivory Coast thanks to a late resurgence.

This is not the first time they have found themselves in this position. This is the fifth time SA failed to win either of their opening two games, following similar starts in 1998, 2004, 2014 and 2016. 

But they have shown their big game temperament, as they have remained unbeaten in their final-group match across the last seven editions.

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” said Ellis. “We’ve been encouraged. Even though we lost the first game, we created a lot of opportunities. In the second game as well we created opportunities. 

“The fightback shows what this team is made of. We just carry on with the performances. I thought today we gave an all-round performance, not just 20 minutes. We’re getting better and better. We keep working. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we keep working on being better, and that’s all we can do. 

“Now the games are coming thick and fast. There’s no margin for error. But, we’re not going to worry about tomorrow. We’ll celebrate tonight and then tomorrow we’ll get started on the next game.”

Baynana Banyana play Morocco in the quarterfinal on 8 August at 10pm South African time. DM