‘It’s not how you start’: Ellis backs Banyana after 2026 WAFCON quarter-final qualification
2022 champions South Africa recovered from a difficult start to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), with head coach Desiree Ellis insisting her side has shown the character needed to succeed in the knockout rounds.
Banyana Banyana finished second in Group B after collecting four points from their final two matches following an opening 2-1 defeat to Tanzania. They rescued a 2-2 draw against Côte d’Ivoire before edging Burkina Faso 1-0, with captain Thembi Kgatlana scoring the decisive goal.
Speaking to Ghana Media Hub, Ellis admitted her side made life harder than necessary despite taking an early lead.
“I said it was going to be a tough one, and we made it a little bit difficult for ourselves. We scored early and stopped playing,” she said.
The experienced coach, however, praised her players for their resilience throughout a testing group-stage campaign.
“It’s not how you start, but how you finish. The fightback shows what this team is made of, and we keep working on being better and that’s all we can do. Now the games are coming thick and fast, there’s no margin for error. We have also shown that we can grind out results.”
Ellis also pointed to lessons learned from previous editions of the tournament, saying South Africa’s approach has evolved since reaching the final in 2018 and winning the continental title in 2022.
She noted that while her side played expansive football in 2018 without lifting the trophy, their ability to adapt and mix styles four years later proved decisive in ending the country’s long wait for a maiden WAFCON crown.
With the group stage behind them, Ellis believes the defending champions are growing into the tournament at the right time as they prepare for the knockout phase, where every match carries added significance.
