Banyana Banyana secured their place in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) quarter-finals with a narrow 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in Casablanca on Tuesday night.
South Africa will face hosts Morocco in Rabat on Saturday, with a place in the semi-finals and qualification for the 2027 Fifa World Cup in Brazil at stake.
The result at Stade Moulay Rachid was enough to settle Group B, while Ivory Coast’s 2-1 victory over Tanzania in the other game at Stade Larbi Zaouli also helped South Africa progress.
Banyana Banyana began the final group match under pressure after losing to Tanzania and drawing with Ivory Coast. Their qualification hopes depended on beating Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, as well as taking all three points from their meeting with Tanzania, and the outcome in Casablanca completed the required equation.
South Africa finished second in the group behind Ivory Coast, with four points. Although their performance was considerably better than in their earlier matches, coach Desiree Ellis and her players will know they must improve again in the knockout stage.
Ellis selected a strong starting line-up for the decisive fixture, bringing in experienced internationals Kaylin Swart, Bambanani Mbane, Refiloe Jane, Linda Motlhalo, Hildah Magaia, Noxolo Cesane and Thembi Kgatlana.
Kgatlana provided the decisive moment after 21 minutes. The striker met a defence-splitting pass from midfielder Fikile Magama and converted to give South Africa the lead.
That goal proved sufficient as Banyana Banyana held on to claim the result they needed and move into the last eight.
The game also included two personal landmarks. Magaia reached a milestone during the match, while Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado made her 50th appearance for the national team after coming on as a second-half substitute.
South Africa’s reward is a quarter-final against Morocco, who will have home advantage in Rabat on Saturday. The match carries added significance because the teams will be competing not only for a place in the Wafcon semi-finals, but also for a route to the 2027 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
The victory ends a tense group-stage campaign for Banyana Banyana, who had been forced to respond after dropping points in their opening two fixtures. Their improved display against Burkina Faso allowed them to avoid an early exit, but the challenge now becomes more demanding against the tournament hosts.
Ivory Coast’s win over Tanzania ensured that South Africa’s result would be enough to take them through in second place. The final group standings left Ivory Coast ahead of Banyana Banyana, with South Africa advancing on four points.
For Ellis, the focus will now shift quickly to Saturday’s quarter-final, where Banyana Banyana must produce another step forward if they are to continue their Wafcon campaign and pursue World Cup qualification.
