“It Doesn’t Have To Be Pretty”: Ellis Salutes Banyana Grit Ahead Of High-Stakes Morocco Rematch
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has praised her team’s resilience after they recovered from a difficult start to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to book their place in the quarterfinals.
South Africa endured a challenging start to their Group B campaign, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their opening match before being held to a 2-2 draw by Ivory Coast.
The defending African champions then faced a must-win final group match against Burkina Faso on Tuesday and responded with a crucial 1-0 victory, courtesy of Thembi Kgatlana’s first-half strike.
However, Banyana Banyana’s fate was not entirely in their own hands. They also needed a favourable result in the other Group B fixture between Ivory Coast and Tanzania, with Ivory Coast’s victory confirming South Africa’s place in the knockout stages.
Despite the difficult start, Ellis believes the team’s recovery highlights the character within the squad.
“It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” Ellis said.
“The fightback shows what this team is made of, and we keep working to be better, which is all we can do. Now the games are coming thick and fast, and there’s no margin for error.
“We’ve also shown that we can grind out results. I think in 2018 we probably played the best football of the tournament, but we didn’t win it.
“In 2022 we mixed it up, so we’ve learned that you can’t play pretty football all the time, even though that’s what people expect from Banyana Banyana. We’ll take it step by step and day by day.”
Ellis also reflected on the victory over Burkina Faso, admitting her side made life more difficult for themselves despite taking an early lead.
“I said it was going to be a tough one, and we made it a little difficult for ourselves,” she added.
“We scored early and then stopped playing. You’ve got to give credit to the players, though. It wasn’t pretty, and sometimes it doesn’t have to be.
“Defensively we were organised, and I think we had one or two chances that could have put the game to bed. Overall, I thought the team played very well.”
The victory over Burkina Faso booked Banyana Banyana a quarterfinal clash against hosts Morocco on Saturday.
The match will be a repeat of the 2022 WAFCON final, also played in Morocco, when South Africa defeated the hosts to lift their first-ever continental title.
This time, however, even more is at stake. Victory over Morocco would send Banyana Banyana into the semifinals and automatically secure their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The four semifinalists at WAFCON will qualify to represent Africa at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, making Saturday’s quarterfinal one of the most significant matches of Ellis’ tenure.
