Banyana Banyana under pressure to save WAFCON and World Cup hopes against Ivory Coast

South Africa defender Karabo Dhlamini says Banyana Banyana must “dig deep” and execute their plan to perfection if they are to rescue their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign against a powerful Ivory Coast side in Casablanca on Friday.

A 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their opening Group B match has left the defending African champions facing the prospect of an early exit, with their route to the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 also now in serious doubt.

Ivory Coast, who swept aside Burkina Faso in their first game to go top of the group, stand between Banyana and a potential group-stage elimination. Only the top four nations at WAFCON will qualify for next year’s World Cup, heightening the stakes for South Africa.

‘We can’t drop any more points’

Dhlamini admits the pressure has swung firmly onto Banyana Banyana after Ivory Coast’s strong start, but insists panic is not an option.

“I think actually there is pressure, because they won their game, so I feel like they have momentum and we still have to fix ourselves,” she said.

“So the pressure is on us, because we can’t drop any more points here. As players we know it’s not going to be an easy, but we’re going to try our best.”

South Africa’s shock reverse against Tanzania not only dented confidence but also disrupted the momentum they had hoped to build at the start of the tournament. With two group matches remaining, there is now minimal room for error.

Matching Ivory Coast’s power

Dhlamini believes South Africa must be ready to meet Ivory Coast’s physical approach head-on if they are to keep their title defence and qualification ambitions alive.

The Ivorians, known as Les Elephantes, boast pace, strength and a direct style that has already overwhelmed one opponent in Burkina Faso. Dhlamini, though, is convinced Banyana can find a way through if they focus on their own structure.

“I think it’s not going to be easy, but it is a tournament,” she said.

“Teams have improved, and I think we also need to improve. They’re physical, they have quick players and they’re strong. We just need to have a gameplan, and we just need to focus more on ourselves on how we’re going to approach this game.”

The defender stressed that detailed preparation and discipline over the full 90 minutes will be crucial if South Africa are to blunt Ivory Coast’s threat and regain control of their campaign.

‘The biggest thing is to dig deep’

Winger Linda Motlhalo echoed Dhlamini’s sentiments, acknowledging that the loss to Tanzania was far from the start South Africa had envisaged but insisting there is still time to respond.

“We understand it’s not always going to go our way. But the biggest thing is to dig deep. It’s a long tournament. There are a lot of games that are going to be played,” Motlhalo said.

That longer view, however, is dependent on Banyana Banyana navigating a must-win scenario in their second group fixture. Failure to beat Ivory Coast would leave them relying heavily on other results and mathematics to stand any chance of reaching the knockout rounds – and with it remaining in contention for a World Cup berth.

Banyana Banyana face Ivory Coast in Casablanca on Friday at 19:00, knowing that both their WAFCON defence and their hopes of appearing on the global stage in 2027 may hinge on the outcome.