Rather than lamenting a lack of match preparation, Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis is banking on a fresh and rejuvenated squad to reclaim continental glory at the upcoming women’s AFCON in Morocco.
The Hollywoodbets Super League will have completed just five rounds of fixtures by the time the continental tournament kicks off at the end of July, leaving local teams with minimal competitive game time.
The 13th edition of the tournament is set for 25 July to 16 August 2026 in Morocco after being postponed from March.
Ellis has already announced a 31-player preliminary squad for WAFCON, which she will eventually trim to the final 26 players who will travel to North Africa.
The 2022 African champions are scheduled to assemble for camp on today, Sunday, 12 July, ahead of their departure for Morocco on Saturday, 18 July. The Sasol-sponsored side has been drawn in Group B alongside Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. Based in Casablanca.
Desiree Ellis says the national team coaching staff has been working with clubs in the Super League to make sure that players are ready for the continental showpiece.
DESIREE ELLIS: WHY FIVE LEAGUE GAMES COULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR BANYANA BANYANA
“We’re always working behind the scenes, like we’ve done in the past, to make sure that the players are in a good physical condition,” Ellis told FARPost. “I think our conditioning coach has been in contact, not just with players, but with SNCs [strength and conditioning] of clubs, to make sure that we share data. Because it’s a win-win for both teams. We know how to manage the load; we know we don’t need to overload players.
“I think the five games might be too few, but it’s also going to have a fresher, fitter squad going into camp where we can push a little bit harder. We have already been working behind the scenes since April to make sure that players are in a better condition. I think the work behind the scenes is really important. We did that a lot in the past. I think the interaction with clubs and coaches is going to help us,” she added, speaking at the recent Banyana Banyana sponsorship announcement with Kenvue South Africa’s Stayfree brand.
The feminine hygiene company are now the senior women’s team official sanitary pad sponsor. The partnership will also see 1000 sanitary pads donated to any community or organisation for every goal that Banyana score between now and April 2027.
ELLIS SPEAKS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A PHYSICALLY FIT SQUAD
This year’s WAFCON is also the qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Banyana have played in two consecutive global showpieces, with the 2023 edition being the latest, where they became the first South African team to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup. The Ellis-led side will have to finish in the top four in Morocco to qualify for the month-long tournament set for next June in Brazil. Ellis stresses the importance of a fit and fresh squad at Wafcon.
“It’s not just a WAFCON, but it’s a WAFCON to qualify for the World Cup,” she continued. “So we have to be in a really good physical shape because that’s what’s going to depend on what is going to be the outcome of how far we can push ourselves at the tournament. Are we going to manage the load? How are we going to manage the players? Are we going to able to keep the players as fresh as possible?
“I think 2022 [when Banyana won WAFCON] was a perfect example of how we rotated the squad, but we were in really good shape compared to last year. So we have already taken the initiative to be proactive this year, to make sure that players are in a better physical shape because when they are in a better physical shape you can ask for as many things from them on the field.”
Ellis’ charges will kick off their 2026 WAFCON campaign against Tanzania on Monday, 27 July. They will then battle Ivory Coast four days later on Friday, 31 July, before wrapping up their group stage fixtures against Burkina Faso. This will be on Tuesday, 4 August.
Written by Busisiwe Mokwena.
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