South Africa face Morocco with Women’s World Cup place at stake

South Africa will secure a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and qualify directly for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup if they beat hosts Morocco in Saturday’s quarter-final.

Banyana Banyana finished second in Group B with four points, three behind winners Ivory Coast, and will face the Atlas Lionesses at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, with kick-off at 22:00.

Desiree Ellis’ team endured an uneven group stage, losing 2-1 to Tanzania and drawing 2-2 with Ivory Coast before a crucial 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso. Their progress to the knockout phase was confirmed only after Ivory Coast defeated Tanzania in the final group match.

The result leaves South Africa with their qualification fate in their own hands. Victory against Morocco would guarantee a semi-final place and confirm a record-extending third successive appearance at the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

However, Banyana Banyana’s form so far has fallen short of expectations. After surrendering their continental title to arch-rivals Nigeria with a fourth-place finish in Morocco last year, South Africa had been expected to make a strong start to this tournament.

Morocco will have home support and arrive in the quarter-final with a perfect group-stage record, having not conceded a goal. South Africa, though, have enjoyed important success against their opponents in recent years and defeated Morocco in Rabat four years ago to win their first continental title.

Ellis has also reached the WAFCON semi-finals in every edition since taking charge in 2016. Despite that record and South Africa’s previous victory over the hosts, she warned her players that past achievements would count for little on Saturday.

“I think every tournament presents different challenges,” said Ellis. “We saw last year and this year that teams have improved. We take nothing for granted. You underestimate a team at your own peril.

“It doesn’t mean that if you win the first game, you automatically advance, or if you lose it, you won’t progress. It’s about how you rise from that. This team has a never-say-die attitude. They are resilient and won’t quit until the very end.”

Speaking at Thursday’s pre-match news conference in Rabat, Ellis said South Africa would need to become more effective in possession and in front of goal if they were to overcome a defence that has yet to be breached at the tournament.

“We need to control our possession better and make better decisions in the final third,” Ellis added. “We have shown that we can create chances, so if we do that, we can score. Morocco reached the knockout stages without conceding a goal, so they are technically a solid side. We have to stay alert for the duration of the game whether that’s 90 minutes, extra time, or penalties.”

South Africa still have a secondary route to World Cup qualification through a play-off if they lose, but defender Karabo Dhlamini said the squad were focused on securing their place directly.

Dhlamini is one of 16 players still involved from the South African team that won the title. She said the current squad had developed significantly since 2022 and was determined to help its younger members realise their ambitions.

“From the players’ side, you can see that we are a different group compared to 2022,” said Dhlamini, one of 16 players remaining from the title-winning squad. “Most of the youngsters we have dream of playing at the World Cup, so it would be great for those of us with experience to help them achieve that goal.”

Mihlali Baleka is covering WAFCON in Morocco for IOL, courtesy of Banyana Banyana’s premier sponsor, Sasol.