Van Wyk calls for evolution rather than youth overhaul after Banyana Banyana exit

Former Banyana Banyana captain Janine Van Wyk has rejected calls for South Africa’s women’s national team to rely more heavily on younger players, saying age should not be blamed for their disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

South Africa were knocked out in the quarter-finals after a 2-1 defeat by hosts Morocco over the weekend, ending a tournament in which they won only one of their four matches.

The 2022 African champions began the group stage with defeat by Tanzania, before drawing with Ivory Coast and beating Burkina Faso. Their results have prompted sections of the media and supporters to question whether some of the more experienced players still have a role to play.

The tournament also serves as a qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. By failing to reach the semi-finals, Banyana Banyana missed out on one of the four automatic qualification places available through WAFCON.

South Africa remain in contention for a place at the global tournament, which will be hosted by Brazil, but must now take a longer qualifying route. Their next challenge is against the Super Falcons of Nigeria, who were also eliminated from WAFCON on Thursday.

Van Wyk, the most capped player in African football, responded to the criticism in a statement posted on Instagram.

“To my dearest South Africans,” wrote Van Wyk.

“Lately I’ve seen a lot of comments saying Banyana Banyana need ‘fresh blood’ and that the players are too old and calling for younger players to step in, thinking that would improve the team.

“I simply disagree.”

Van Wyk argued that performance at international level depends on a range of factors beyond a player’s age, including experience, quality, mentality and tactical understanding.

“To me, age is just a number. Experience, quality, mentality, tactical understanding and the ability to perform at the highest level matter far more.

“Look at [Lionel] Messi and [Christiano] Ronaldo. Players who continued to perform at the highest level well beyond the age people would normally consider ‘too old’. So why do we automatically assume that an experienced player can no longer contribute simply because of their age?”

She pointed to South Africa’s previous success at the continental tournament as evidence that experience remains valuable. Banyana Banyana won two WAFCON tournaments ago, and some members of that squad are still involved with the team.

Those players, she said, are competing abroad and facing higher standards, while bringing international knowledge and competition to the squad.

“Banyana Banyana won two WAFCON tournaments ago. That team had experience and some of those players are still currently there. These very players are playing abroad, competing at higher levels and bringing knowledge, higher standards and an element of competition that you simply cannot replace.

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t bring in young players. We absolutely should but there needs to be a balance.”

Van Wyk said younger players should be introduced, but warned against expecting those with limited experience of top-level football to immediately outperform established internationals at a major tournament.

She called for a broader review of the team’s preparation and methods, rather than a simple change in personnel.

“The answer isn’t simply ‘get rid of the old players and bring in the young ones’.

“The answer is EVOLUTION.

“Football evolves constantly and teams have to evolve with it. Bring fresh ideas. Evolve the tactical approach. Improve the technical work. Challenge the players. Improve the physical preparation. Work on the mentality. Create an environment where experienced players and younger players can learn from one another.

“Performance is about much more than age!!!

“Sometimes the solution isn’t changing the players. Sometimes it’s changing what happens around the players.

“Let’s stop making age the scapegoat and start looking at the bigger picture.”