Banyana World Cup Play-Off Squad: Ellis Names Team For Morocco Tournament
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has named her final squad for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup Intercontinental Play-offs, set to take place in Morocco between late November and early December.
South Africa entered the play-off pathway after failing to reach the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semi-finals, following a quarter-final exit at the hands of host nation Morocco in August.
Ellis’ side kicks off their campaign against Chinese Taipei at the Mohamed VI Stadium on 28 November, before facing Ecuador at the same venue on 1 December. Banyana Banyana will wrap up the initial play-off phase four days later when they take on Uzbekistan in Rabat.
The top two teams from this four-nation group will advance to the decisive final play-off tournament scheduled for February 2027. That secondary phase will feature six teams: the two qualifiers from the November–December group alongside four nations from CONCACAF (two), UEFA (one), and CONMEBOL (one).
Those six teams will contend in single-elimination knockout matches to decide the final three qualification spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Seeding for the final play-off tournament will rely strictly on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. The three highest-ranked nations will be seeded into separate bracket pathways, with the remaining three teams drawn against them.
Furthermore, confederation protection will apply, ensuring teams from the same continent cannot meet in the same bracket path—adding extra tactical intrigue to Banyana Banyana’s qualifying road.
Banyana has qualified for the past two FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019 and 2023 – after reaching the WAFCON final in 2018, but lost to Nigeria, before winning it in 2022 in Morocco.
