Fourth place finish caps mixed Wafcon for Banyana
Desiree Ellis and her charges entered the tournament among the favourites, with high expectations to go the distance. However, the knockout stages proved to be a stumbling block for the defending champions.
It's now back to the drawing board for Ellis and her technical team after a campaign that exposed several shortcomings — from missed opportunities to defensive lapses that proved costly in crucial matches.
As the team looks ahead, they'll also do so without one of their most experienced players. Jermaine Seoposenwe, a key part of the national setup for more than a decade, played her final match for Banyana during this tournament and bows out of international football having left a lasting legacy.
Here are three key talking points from South Africa's WAFCON campaign:
Bright start in the Group stage
Banyana got their title defence off to a positive start with a 2-0 victory over Ghana in their opening game. While the scoreline reflected control, some defensive vulnerabilities began to show, hinting at issues that would later prove costly.
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Next Stay Close ✕ She then temporarily took over the reins from Pauw in 2016 before she was finally appointed as the head coach in 2018 to date. During her stint, the 62-year-old has achieved the improbable, including winning Banyana's maiden WAFCON and qualifying for back-to-back World Cups. However, she was unable to defend the crown in Morocco recently due to an underwhelming performance, including losing to eventual champions Nigeria in the semi-final. So, where to go for Ellis? Will she resolve her contractual issues with Safa and stay put to ensure the team qualifies for the 2027 World Cup through next year's WAFCON? 'No comment!' said Ellis during her post-match press conference on Friday following the 4-3 loss to Ghana on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time. 'Because whatever it is that I am going to say right now, it's going to be taken out of context anyway. So, I'd rather say 'no comment'.' While she is tight-lipped about the direction of her future, she has pointed out that lack of time to prepare for their title defence led to their shortcomings. 'I don't want to make excuses, but we had more time in 2022 to prepare. Our league started late, so we have to consider all those factors,' Ellis said. 'We have to consider how we'd go this tournament – so that's why we made sure that we rotated players for freshness. We had four injured in the stands and five outfield substitutes. So, that's how it goes, but we'll go back and look at what we can do better. 'In 2018, we looked at how we played and what we were doing, and we did things a little bit differently in 2022.' Banyana blew hot and cold after the 2022 WAFCON. They reached the World Cup last sixteen for the first time in 2023, missed out on the Olympics and have now relinquished their title. 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