Ellis Explains Her Brutal Banyana Squad Cuts For WAFCON
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has revealed that consistency was the decisive factor in selecting her final squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which gets underway in Morocco next Saturday.
Ellis reduced her preliminary 31-player squad to a final group of 26 for the continental showpiece, selecting a balanced mix of experienced campaigners and promising young talent.
Banyana Banyana head into the tournament with more than just the WAFCON title at stake. The competition also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semi-finalists securing automatic qualification for the global showpiece.
Explaining her selection process, Ellis said consistency was the most important quality she looked for when finalising the squad.
“Look, first of all, getting to the 31 was difficult,” Ellis said.
“I’ve been following matches since the start of the league, and the main thing we were looking for was consistency. You can’t perform in just one out of five games. You’ve got to be consistent throughout.
“We also looked back at last year and at 2022. In 2022, we had a good squad, but players like Amogelang Motau, Robyn Moodaly and Bongeka Gamede were not regular starters. Even now, they are not regulars.
“We were looking for something similar, where if one player comes out, we have another one ready to come in. We also wanted a balance between youth and experience.
“If you look at our squad, we have six or seven players under the age of 24, including an 18-year-old. That balance was important to us. We also wanted players who could train at a high level and push their teammates for places.
“We considered all of those factors, while also analysing our opponents. We want to make sure we are adaptable and able to change things if the situation demands it.”
South Africa, who were eliminated by Nigeria in the semi-finals at the previous WAFCON, have been drawn in Group B alongside Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso as they bid to reclaim the continental crown.
