South Africa and Ghana will discover their opponents in the intercontinental play-off tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 on Thursday, 20 August 2026.
Both teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals but kept their hopes of reaching the finals alive through crucial play-off victories. South Africa secured their opportunity by beating Nigeria, while Ghana overcame Cote d’Ivoire.
The two African sides will now take part in the intercontinental phase of the qualifying play-offs, which is scheduled to be played in November and December.
The draw will determine the next opponents for South Africa and Ghana. The teams listed as qualified for the draw are Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Ghana, alongside South Africa.
South Africa and Ghana cannot be drawn against each other because they belong to the same confederation.
For the African teams, the intercontinental play-offs represent another route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after their quarter-final exits. Their progress in the earlier play-offs ensured that neither side’s campaign ended with elimination from the main tournament competition.
The draw takes place on Thursday, with the fixtures to be played during the November-December window. South Africa and Ghana will therefore have to wait until the draw before knowing which opponents stand between them and a place at the World Cup.
South Africa’s immediate competitive focus, however, will be on the Olympic qualifying competition. The next fixture for Banyana Banyana is the second round of the Olympic qualifiers against Madagascar, with the tie scheduled to be played over two legs in October.
That contest will come before South Africa turns its attention fully to the intercontinental World Cup play-offs. Ghana will also remain on course for the November-December tournament after their victory over Cote d’Ivoire preserved their qualification hopes.
The draw is consequently significant for both teams: it will provide the next step in their pursuit of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and establish the matches they must win in the intercontinental play-off phase.