Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt
- Banyana must beat hosts Morocco in Saturday’s Wafcon quarterfinal to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
- South Africa reached the last eight after beating Burkina Faso 1-0, following a loss and draw in Group B.
Banyana Banyana must beat hosts Morocco in Rabat on Saturday night to book their place at the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The quarterfinal winner will reach the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semifinals and qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Banyana reached the last eight after beating Burkina Faso 1-0 on Tuesday.
Thembi Kgatlana scored early and South Africa held on for the win.
Burkina Faso were awarded a penalty, but the decision was overturned after a video assistant referee check.
Ivory Coast beat Tanzania in the other Group B match, leaving Banyana in second place and setting up the Morocco clash.
Coach Desiree Ellis admitted that her team made the Burkina Faso match harder than it needed to be.
“We scored early and stopped playing,” Ellis said after the match. “It wasn’t pretty and sometimes it doesn’t have to be pretty.”
Banyana started the tournament with a shock 2-1 defeat to Tanzania.
They then scored deep into stoppage time to rescue a 2-2 draw against Ivory Coast.
Ellis said the recovery showed the team’s fighting spirit.
“It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” she said. “The fightback shows what this team is made of.”
Ellis said there is now no room for mistakes against Morocco.
She believes Banyana have shown that they can fight through difficult matches, even when they are not playing their best football.
Pictured above: Kgatlana celebrating her goal.
Image source: @CAFWomen
