South Africa Names Experienced Squad for WAFCON Title Defence

Desiree Ellis has nailed her colours to the mast. South Africa’s coach has gone heavy on experience, World Cup know-how and big‑tournament scars as she confirmed a 26‑player squad to defend Banyana Banyana’s continental crown at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

This is not just about another trophy. From July 26 to August 16, WAFCON doubles as the gateway to Brazil 2027. Reach the semi‑finals and the ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup is stamped. Miss out, and the path narrows to the intercontinental playoffs, where two more African sides will have to fight for their lives.

Ellis has picked players who understand that pressure.

Old guard trusted for another push

The core of South Africa’s golden generation is back. Striker Thembi Kgatlana, midfield architects Linda Motlhalo and captain Refiloe Jane, defensive stalwarts Lebohang Ramalepe and Bambanani Mbane, and goalkeepers Kaylin Swart and Andile Dlamini all headline a group built around continuity and chemistry.

There is also a story of resilience and reunion.

Robyn Moodaly-Salgado returns from retirement to reclaim a place in the national set‑up, joining her spouse Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado in the squad. The latter’s inclusion carries its own emotional weight: she suffered a horrific broken leg at the previous WAFCON, a brutal end to a campaign that still delivered South Africa’s first and only continental title.

Up front, Ellis has again turned to a proven finisher in Hildah Magaia. Unattached at club level but undroppable in South African folklore, Magaia is the forward who scored both goals in the 2022 final against Morocco, the night Banyana finally climbed Africa’s highest step.

Group B route laid out

The roadmap is clear. South Africa have been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against Tanzania in Casablanca on July 27. Four days later, they meet Ivory Coast, before rounding off the group phase against Burkina Faso on August 4.

The margins are unforgiving. Only the top two teams in each pool move on to the quarterfinals, the first real cut in the race for those four automatic World Cup spots.

Jane: “We know what is at stake”

Captain Refiloe Jane did not dress up the stakes.

She underlined that this WAFCON carries a double burden: pride as defending champions and the cold, practical demand of World Cup qualification.

She acknowledged the disappointment of the last edition and made it clear the squad cannot afford a repeat, stressing that the main objective is to reach the World Cup before anything else is considered.

An injury setback had threatened to derail her own involvement, but the postponement of the tournament changed everything. What could have been a race against time turned into a timely reprieve. With the domestic league back in full swing, Jane has banked valuable minutes for TS Galaxy Queens and arrives in camp with rhythm, not rust.

For her, the delay became an advantage. She spoke of being able to start this camp “on a high note” and build from there, highlighting how the resumption of league football has sharpened both her and many of her teammates.

Filling a giant’s void

One absence looms large. Jermaine Seoposenwe, a long‑serving midfielder and one of the emotional anchors of this team, has retired. Jane did not hide the size of the gap.

She described Seoposenwe as a special figure whose influence reached far beyond 90 minutes on the pitch. When a senior player of that stature steps away, a vacuum follows. The hope within the camp is that younger players have absorbed enough from her example to carry those standards forward.

That is the challenge now: to blend the familiar spine with emerging talent and keep the machine moving without one of its most recognisable cogs.

Jane’s message remained consistent. The immediate mission is qualification for the World Cup. The parallel ambition is to defend the WAFCON crown. Only then will this generation’s legacy feel complete.

Banyana Banyana squad for 2026 WAFCON

• Goalkeepers: Kaylin Swart (JVW FC), Andile Dlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Kebotseng Moletsane (University of Fort Hare FC)
• Defenders: Lebohang Ramalepe (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Lonathemba Mhlongo (The University of the Western Cape FC), Karabo Dhlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Asanda Hadebe (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Antonia Maponya (The University of the Western Cape FC), Khutso Pila (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Fikile Magama (The University of the Western Cape FC)
• Midfielders: Bongeka Gamede (FC Nordjaelland, Denmark), Noxolo Cesane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado (JVW FC), Linda Motlhalo (Glasgow City, Scotland), Nonhlanhla Mathandi (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Refiloe Jane (TS Galaxy Queens FC), Sibulele Holweni (The University of the Western Cape FC), Isabella Ludwig (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Amogelang Motau (Club Tijuana, Mexico)
• Forwards: Hildah Magaia (unattached), Thembi Kgatlana (Tigres UANL, Mexico), Ronnel Donnelly (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Nthabiseng Majiya (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Zoe October (The University of the Western Cape FC)

The champions go to Morocco with a familiar core, a few powerful subplots and the weight of a continent’s expectations. The question now is simple: can this group turn one historic title into an era?