Banyana Banyana face biggest match in their history at WAFCON 2026
· The South African
Banyana Banyana booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Casablanca on Tuesday night.
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Thembi Kgatlana scored the only goal of the match in the 21st minute to secure South Africa’s progression from Group B and set up a mouth-watering last-eight clash against tournament hosts Morocco in Rabat on Saturday, 8 August.
Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time).
Ivory Coast also advanced after defeating Tanzania 2-1 in the group’s other fixture.
One win away from World Cup qualification
The stakes are even higher than a place in the semi-finals, with the 2026 WAFCON also serving as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Only the four semi-finalists will secure automatic qualification for the global showpiece, meaning Banyana Banyana are now just one victory away from booking their ticket to Brazil.
SAFA president Danny Jordaan congratulated the team on their achievement while urging them to take the final step.
“Well done Banyana Banyana. We are fully behind you and we are aware that one more victory will qualify us for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027,” said Jordaan.
Tough test awaits
South Africa now face arguably their biggest challenge of the tournament against hosts Morocco, who will enjoy home support in Rabat.
A look at the latest FIFA rankings shows that South Africa are 57th in the world (and second in Africa), while Morocco are 64th in the world and fourth on the continent.