Banyana Gears Up For WAFCON 2025 Title Defense
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has confirmed that the team is eagerly anticipating the final stages of their preparations for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set to kick off next month in Morocco.
Ellis’s side are the reigning champions, having secured the title in July 2022 after defeating Morocco in the final.
Notably, South Africa clinched that victory despite the absence of key striker Thembi Kgatlana in the latter stages due to injury. Kgatlana will also miss this year’s tournament for personal reasons.
The South African senior women’s national team arrived in Morocco on Wednesday after a flight delay to finalize their WAFCON preparations. The tournament is scheduled to begin on July 5-6.
The former Banyana Banyana captain emphasized the significance of the upcoming tournament.
“You know there is a big tournament coming up that we need to be ready for, so we’re really looking forward to the upcoming days where we will continue with our preparation,” said Ellis.
Ellis continued: “Everyone is in good spirits and really excited to be here, and work starts now.”
Banyana Banyana is drawn in Group C alongside Ghana, Tanzania, and Mali. Furthermore, the defending champions will start their group stage campaign against Ghana on 7 July, followed by Tanzania on the same week on 11 July, and conclude with Mali on 14 July.
All Banyana’s group stage games will be played at Honneur Stadium in Oujda.
