By Dylan Bettencourt
- South Africa face Algeria on 14 and 17 April at a venue to be confirmed, then play Japan in June.
- Coach Ellis says the friendlies will prepare Banyana for whatever comes at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Desiree Ellis has named a 24-woman Banyana Banyana squad for friendlies against Algeria and Japan as the team prepares for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco later this year.
South Africa face Algeria on 14 and 17 April at a venue still to be confirmed. Japan follow in June as Banyana’s final warm-up before the tournament.
Banyana finished fourth at last year’s Wafcon. The team wants to go further this time and also qualify for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
Ellis said Algeria will bring a different kind of challenge.
“We played a lot of physical teams last year. The last friendly was against Morocco, a North African team. Algeria also brings physicality but they are very different in how they use the counter-attack,” she said.
“They played a low block at Wafcon last year. I think they will challenge us in different ways. Leading up to Wafcon, we want as many different challenges as we can, so we can adapt during the tournament,” she said.
Ellis said Japan will push Banyana even further.
“We played them in 2019 for an international friendly and a training match. They always had the same DNA of players, technically very good,” she said.
“We have to be very good tactically. That will help us going into Wafcon because we are going to face different challenges. Japan just won the Asian Cup, beating Australia in the final, and that is really going to help us,” she said.
Banyana are in Group B at Wafcon alongside Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania.
Pictured above: Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis.
Image source: @Banyana_Banyana
