Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has expressed a mix of frustration and optimism following the postponement of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON].
The CAF 2026 WAFCON was initially scheduled to kick off on March 17. However, the continental showpiece was pushed back just days away from commencement, with Morocco serving as hosts for a record third consecutive time. The North African country was supposed to welcome 16 nations before the sudden scheduling shift.
The decision to move the tournament less than a fortnight before the opening match has sparked heavy criticism across the continent.
As a result, the WAFCON has been rescheduled to run from July 25 to August 16, 2026.
The four-time CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, Ellis, is already looking at the silver lining. At the time of the original schedule, several key Banyana players were still in pre-season mode, raising concerns about match fitness and injury risks.
Banyana recently used the 2025 COSAFA Women’s Championship tournament to look at some players, a move Ellis says was calculated to prevent burnout ahead of what they thought was an imminent WAFCON.
WHAT DESIREE ELLIS SAID ABOUT WAFCON POSTPONEMENT
While the delay offers Banyana more time to fine-tune their preparations, Ellis was blunt about the lack of professional communication leading up to the decision, questioning if such uncertainty would ever be tolerated in the men’s game.
Ellis admitted that while she suspected a postponement was coming, the lack of transparency from officials made it difficult to manage the squad’s expectations.
“I believe when you look at some of the core players who joined us, they truly understand what is required. Perhaps the younger players, initially unaware, arrived at camp before the WAFCON postponement and realised they had to step up immediately. I think the most disappointing aspect was dealing with the uncertainty surrounding the tournament first,” said Ellis.
“Indeed, we were in the middle of preparing even as all these rumours were flying around with so little time remaining before the opening game of the tournament. Personally, I didn’t think it was actually going to happen. However, I couldn’t say or do anything because we had received no official confirmation from the organisers.”
DESIREE ELLIS EXPLAINS HOW PLAYERS SACRIFICED FOR THE WAFCON TOURNAMENT
The coach noted that the uncertainty was particularly hard on the players, many of whom sacrificed their festive season to remain in camp and hit peak physical condition.
“I was disappointed that there was no communication—just a yes or no [if the tournament is going on or postponed]. As I said in one of my interviews, does this happen in the men’s game? I don’t think so. But all we wanted was someone to say yes or no. Eventually, when it came out, there was suspicion that it would happen. For the players, I’m sure they were disappointed because a lot of them didn’t have a proper festive season since they were busy training, trying to get into shape.
“But now, it gives them an opportunity to get into even better shape than they were before. They get more game time, which we didn’t have, and that was a concern because some players were at the stage of pre-season. That’s why we changed players in the matchday squad for the COSAFA tournament to manage the load and make sure that we don’t push them too hard and they break down at WAFCON.
“However, this is an opportunity to play more games before the WAFCON tournament. The league will be starting in South Africa, and we will have to look at players coming back from injuries and players who are changing clubs, because sometimes it happens that they step up quickly, and sometimes it takes longer. So, in a way, I am disappointed, but in another way, it’s a blessing in disguise for us.”
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