Ellis Names Banyana Squad For WAFCON And COSAFA
Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has announced a 38-member squad for an Alignment Camp ahead of the COSAFA Women’s Championship and the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The national team will enter camp on Friday, 13 February 2026, as part of preparations for the two major tournaments scheduled for later this year. The WAFCON will take place in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April 2026, while the COSAFA Women’s Championship is set to be hosted in Polokwane, South Africa, from 18 February to 1 March 2026.
International-based players are expected to join the camp on 25 February 2026, in line with the opening of the FIFA international window.
Banyana Banyana will compete in the COSAFA Women’s Championship, with the tournament draw having been conducted in Polokwane on Wednesday, 4 February 2026. South Africa were drawn into Group A alongside Malawi, Lesotho and Angola.
The 38-player squad will train together throughout the COSAFA Women’s Championship, after which the team will be trimmed ahead of the WAFCON camp. The Alignment Camp will continue until the conclusion of WAFCON, hence its designation as the COSAFA/WAFCON Alignment Camp.
Banyana Banyana will be aiming for improved results at WAFCON after finishing fourth at last year’s tournament in Morocco, where they lost the third-place playoff. South Africa entered that competition as defending champions, having claimed their maiden WAFCON title in 2022.
