Banyana Banyana must beat Burkina Faso and rely on Ivory Coast result to reach WAFCON quarter-finals

Banyana Banyana must defeat Burkina Faso on Tuesday to keep their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign alive, but qualification for the quarter-finals is also dependent on the outcome of Ivory Coast’s match against Tanzania.

Desiree Ellis’ side will meet Burkina Faso in their final Group B fixture at Moulay Rachid Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 22:00 SAST. The simultaneous game between Ivory Coast and Tanzania will take place in Casablanca.

South Africa began the tournament with a defeat by Tanzania before drawing with Ivory Coast, leaving them needing a victory in their final group match and favourable results elsewhere to finish in the top two.

The clearest route to the last eight would see both Banyana Banyana and Ivory Coast win their respective matches. That outcome would leave Ellis’ team second behind the West Africans and send both sides through to the quarter-finals.

Banyana Banyana could also advance if they and Tanzania record sizeable victories against Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast respectively, with the group standings also taking head-to-head results into account.

A place in the quarter-finals is particularly important for South Africa because it would preserve their hopes of qualifying for a third successive Women’s World Cup. They would qualify by reaching the WAFCON semi-finals, while a quarter-final defeat would leave them facing the play-offs.

Ellis acknowledged that her team cannot determine the full outcome of the group, but insisted their immediate priority was to produce the required performance against Burkina Faso.

“All the games in the tournament are different, and this one is no exception,” Ellis said. “They’ve shown their qualities and organisation, but we have to focus on ourselves.

“We know what we need to do: we need to win the game. That is the most important thing. We can only control what is in our hands. If we win the game with enough goals, we give ourselves a strong chance of progression.”

The coach also recognised the threat posed by Burkina Faso, while expressing confidence that South Africa had sufficient squad depth to compete strongly and secure the result they need.

Defensive improvement will be central to that task. Banyana Banyana have conceded in both of their matches so far, with Andile Dlamini and Kaylin Swart each starting in goal during the tournament.

Ellis said South Africa must combine greater defensive discipline with a more decisive attacking approach after failing to take the lead in either match.

“We have shown what we are capable of and displayed our resilience. So, we have to build on that and make sure we keep a clean sheet,” Ellis added. “We have not been in front in this tournament yet, so we need to change that and score first.”