Banyana Banyana put up a fierce fight against Tanzania in their CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Group B opener but suffered a 2-1 defeat at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, on Monday evening.
Despite the setback, Banyana Banyana still have two group matches to revive their campaign. They will face Ivory Coast on 31 July before taking on Burkina Faso on 4 August.
“Our comeback will be much stronger, let’s get past this loss and plan for our next victory. You dominated the game today, but luck was not on our side,” Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, said in a post on social media platform X.
He added that the nation was fully behind them.
South Africa is drawn in Group B alongside Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter finals.
The match marked a special milestone for midfielder Linda Motlhalo, who earned her 100th cap for the senior women’s national team.
The tournament, which is being held in Morocco from 26 July to 16 August 2026, also serves as a route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semi-finalists qualifying automatically. - SAnews.gov.za
