Banyana ready to fight Falcons for World Cup ticket

South African players remain hopeful for a 2027 FIFA World Cup berth despite a daunting playoff clash against Nigeria. Banyana Banyana missed an automatic ticket after a 2-1 loss to hosts Morocco, while Nigeria fell 1-0 to Cameroon in their respective qualifying matches. Cameroon, Algeria, and Malawi secured the direct spots from the WAFCON tournament, leaving South Africa and Nigeria to battle for a chance to advance to inter-continental play-offs.

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The goal is still the same. We’ll try our best to win the play-offs, because we still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup.

"The goal is still the same," stated Karabo Dhlamini. "We’ll try our best to win the play-offs, because we still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup." She acknowledged the team's disappointment after the loss to Morocco but emphasized resilience. "We’re not feeling happy, we’re disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. We’re going to lift our heads up and focus on the next goal."

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We’re not feeling happy, we’re disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. We’re going to lift our heads up and focus on the next goal.

Coach Desiree Ellis acknowledged the unexpected route to qualification. "We didn’t want to go down that route, but it’s been thrown at us. We need to get ready for the next game mentally, get ready for it physically, we need to recover quickly." The team's journey in the WAFCON was marked by challenges, including an opening loss to Tanzania and a draw against Ivory Coast before advancing. The playoff match against Nigeria, who also lost their WAFCON semi-final, will take place in Casablanca, with the winner progressing to a larger inter-confederation tournament in November and December for the final World Cup spots.

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We didn’t want to go down that route, but it’s been thrown at us. We need to get ready for the next game mentally, get ready for it physically, we need to recover quickly.