Following the COSAFA Women’s Championship heartbreak, Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has identified critical areas for improvement as her side shifts focus to the CAF 2026 WAFCON tournament.
This comes in the wake of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Namibia in the 2025 COSAFA Women’s Championship final, where the hosts fell short in extra time at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the regional setback, the former African champions must now regroup, as they aim to reclaim WAFCON title in Morocco.
The upcoming WAFCON is scheduled to start from March 17 to April 3, 2026. Morocco will host the competition for a record third consecutive time, utilising world-class venues in Casablanca, Fez, and Rabat.
The 14th edition also marks a historic expansion of the tournament, featuring 16 teams for the first time, up from 12 in previous years.
Banyana are drawn into a competitive Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the event. Recent reports suggest a possible postponement just weeks before the scheduled kickoff.
However, CAF has yet to release an official statement or confirm revised dates, leaving participating nations in a state of flux as they await final clarification.
WHAT BANYANA BANYANA COACH DESIREE ELLIS IS PLANNING TO WORK ON
During the COSAFA tournament, the primary concern was not a lack of creativity, but rather a lack of clinical execution in the final third. Coach Ellis was candid about the team’s technical shortcomings.
For Ellis, the issue goes down to composure and conversion rates. She emphasised that while the coaching staff can do everything in their power to guide the girls, individual accountability is key.
“If you were at our training session yesterday [referring to Saturday], you would have seen that we were working on crossing and finishing. Not just crossing, but also playing the ball through, running onto the ball, and finishing,” said coach Ellis.
“It’s a constant focus that we are continuing to work on. We know we are going to create chances. It doesn’t matter who plays or who is in the team.
“We just have to have a little more composure, you know. But we can only do so much in our camps. Players must also go back and work on those extra things. If we can get that right, I think we can win a lot of games.
“If we can get the conversion rate right and take 10 shots with five on target, at least it guarantees a couple of goals. But if you take 10 shots and only two are on target, then maybe you just score one. So, we will continuously work on our finishings because it may be tougher. We will work on that, and hopefully, we can sort out that problem.”
RELATED STORY: Desiree Ellis reacts to Gabriela Salgado’s comeback after horrific injury setback