Banyana Banyana players and the technical team have settled down in Casablanca, Morocco, ahead of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) 2026, scheduled to take place from this Sunday until August 16.
All the players have arrived in camp, and the team has a full complement of players, and this is a major boost for coach Desiree Ellis.
The 2022 African Champions arrived on Sunday and wasted no time in continuing with their preparations. The South Africans are working hard as they build up to their Group D encounters, which feature matches against Tanzania, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso. They will open their campaign against Tanzania on Monday.
All players at camp
“It was a long travel, but we’ve had two sessions now trying to acclimatise to the heat, as we are coming from a cold South Africa, but fortunately, for now, it’s not as hot as it was last year. We had really good sessions and now we are looking forward to the rest of the week,” said Ellis.
All the players are in camp following the arrival of the overseas-based Thembi Kgatlana, Amogelang Motau (both Mexico), Bongeka Gamede (Denmark) and Linda Motlhalo (Scotland). Both Kgatlana and Gamede have already taken part in the training sessions, while Motau and Motlhalo will get their first taste on Wednesday.
“It’s very exciting to have them, we have sat down with them to show them what we did last week and to continue with preparations. Of course, it’s a couple of days to go and we need to make sure that everybody understands what it is that we need to do,” added Ellis.
Moodaly-Salgado excited to be back
Among the squad of 26 players selected for WAFCON 2026 is midfielder Robyn Moodaly-Salgado, who last played for Banyana Banyana in 2023 after the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Prior to that, she was part of the history-making Wafcon-winning team in 2022.
“Obviously I haven’t been here for a while, so I am really excited to be back wearing national team colours. It’s super exciting being back, being welcomed again and playing the game with old teammates, and just being back in the WAFCON setup, I am really looking forward to it. I’m ecstatic, new expectations, new goals, new year, we want to qualify for the World Cup, and we want to bring it home again,” said Moodaly-Salgado.
Wafcon 2026 kicks off on Sunday, but South Africa will be in action the following day (Monday, July 27) when they face Tanzania in their opening game, followed by clashes against Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso in the group stages.
The top four nations will automatically for the 2027 Brazil FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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- Banyana Banyana and coaching staff have arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, to prepare for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) 2026, taking place from July 23 to August 16.
- The full squad, including overseas players Thembi Kgatlana, Amogelang Motau, Bongeka Gamede, and Linda Motlhalo, is now in camp, giving coach Desiree Ellis a major boost.
- South Africa, the 2022 African champions, are in Group D, set to face Tanzania, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso; they open their campaign against Tanzania on July 27.
- Midfielder Robyn Moodaly-Salgado returns to the national team after last playing in 2023, expressing excitement and high ambitions for the tournament, including World Cup qualification.
- The top four teams in Wafcon 2026 will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
