Cote d’Ivoire target another win as South Africa seek Women’s Africa Cup of Nations response

Cote d’Ivoire face South Africa in their second Group B match at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 on Friday, with a victory likely to put Reynald Pedros’ side firmly in contention for the quarter-finals.

The match will be played at Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca, Morocco, four days after Cote d’Ivoire opened their campaign with an impressive 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso on 27 July.

Pedros has opted to name the same starting XI for the meeting with South Africa. Ines Konan, who scored twice in the opening match, leads the attack once again, supported by Rebecca Elloh and Safi N’sira.

Elloh and N’sira also scored against Burkina Faso, meaning all three members of Cote d’Ivoire’s attacking trio found the net in their first appearance at the tournament.

A second successive victory would represent a major step towards qualification for the knockout stages. Cote d’Ivoire have not reached the knockout phase of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for 12 years, with their previous appearance ending in a third-place finish.

South Africa, meanwhile, are under pressure after losing their opening Group B fixture 2-1 to Tanzania. The result left the Banyana Banyana needing a strong response against Cote d’Ivoire to keep their hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals alive.

South Africa finished fourth at the previous edition of the competition and will be determined to recover from their disappointing start. Another defeat would leave their route into the knockout stage in serious doubt.

For Cote d’Ivoire, the focus will be on maintaining the attacking momentum generated by their performance against Burkina Faso. Their unchanged line-up gives Pedros’ team the opportunity to build on that display, while South Africa must find a way to contain Konan, Elloh and N’sira.

The two teams therefore arrive at Stade Moulay Rachid with contrasting objectives. Cote d’Ivoire can strengthen their position at the top end of the group with another positive result, while South Africa are looking to prevent their campaign from slipping away after only one match.

Follow live coverage and commentary of South Africa against Cote d’Ivoire in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026.