Banyana's morale boosted for Wafcon by winning all their preparation games
Winning all their preparatory matches before the defence of their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title in July has left Banyana Banyana encouraged and confident.
South Africa beat Zambia 2-0 in their Three Nations Challenge friendly at Lucas Moripe Stadium in their last warm-up before departing for the finals in Morocco.
The Wafcon runs from July 5 to 26. Banyana open their tournament against Ghana at Honor Stadium in Oujda on July 7.
'We've played against Malawi, Botswana and Zambia, who are all going to Wafcon, so I think we've prepared well for the tournament,' Banyana left-back Bongeka Gamede said.
'We will be ready. The results we got from these games will build our momentum.'
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Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Daily Maverick
Banyana Banyana morale sky high after pre-Wafcon friendly successes
Over and above winning both their final friendly matches before the start of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Banyana Banyana also welcomed back some stalwarts, as well as testing some promising youngsters. Banyana Banyana recently played their final preparation international friendlies before they jet off to Morocco to defend their title as the queens of African soccer. Though both ended in victory, the core exercise from the two matches was Banyana coach Desiree Ellis assessing different things that the team is doing well, as well as where they can improve. The two friendly fixtures, against Botswana and Zambia, ended in South Africa's senior women's soccer side winning 3-2 and 2-0 respectively. During the two fixtures, Banyana's technical team tried out different combinations and provided a number of hopefuls with an opportunity to audition for a spot in the final side that will trek to North Africa. Outside of the victories, which Ellis had said were not too important for her during this international window, one of the positive takeaways was the return to the team of some key senior players. Old guard returns In the win against Botswana, Banyana's co-captain Refiloe Jane made her return to international soccer — after a one-year injury-enforced absence. The skipper had last featured for South Africa in their 2024 Paris Olympic qualification clash against Nigeria, in April 2024. The midfield general — who is also back playing in South Africa after leaving Italian outfit Sassuolo last year — put in a solid shift against Botswana. The TS Galaxy playmaker's return was complemented by defensive stalwart Bambanani Mbane also making a comeback after a similarly lengthy layoff. Mbane's Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies teammate Karabo Dhlamini was also sidelined for large parts of 2024, but she is back just in time for Ellis' team as they attempt to retain the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title they won in 2022. The 23-year-old defender is a player Ellis is particularly fond of, due to her versatility. 'There are a few things we can be better at. A big plus for us is having our senior players back. Bambanani played two 90-minute periods since coming back from injury. Karabo also played 90 minutes after coming back from injury. We saw Refiloe Jane play 60 minutes,' Ellis said after the victory over Zambia. 'We are trying different combinations to make sure that we have enough versatility in the team. So, sometimes a player will play out of position and there is a reason why. We know they are capable of performing in different positions,' she said. Squad depth and harmony Ellis and her support staff have a healthy pool of talent to choose from before their quest in Morocco. The coach has already announced a 46-player preliminary squad for the Wafcon. She will have to trim this to 21 players for the tournament, hence the need for versatile players. 'It helps us in terms of options for Wafcon, because the squad we can select is really small. So, the versatility of players will be really important,' Ellis stated. In addition to having some of her trusted soldiers back, the Banyana Banyana coach also had an opportunity to observe some of the exciting youngsters fighting to anchor themselves in the team. This includes JVW pair Casey Gordon (goalkeeper), as well as forward Boitumelo Mokoma — who is one of the top scorers in the early stages of the 2025 Hollywoodbets Super League season. Then there is zippy winger Adrielle Mibe. All three are still in their teens. 'Wafcon is around the corner now. Players such as Bambanani and Refiloe are very important for us. Their experience is invaluable and we're happy that they are fit again. Even the newcomers are exciting for us,' said Dhlamini on the state of the team. Denmark-based Bongeka Gamede played a starring role as Banyana downed Zambia's Copper Queens 2-0 in Pretoria on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. The defender struck a long-distance free-kick to propel South Africa to victory over the Zambians. She said the team was oozing confidence in the lead-up to their title defence. 'The preps are going well. We've played Botswana, we played Malawi and Zambia. Botswana and Zambia are going to the Wafcon, so now we have some idea of what to expect there. Now we will carry on preparing ourselves and we will be ready (to defend our title),' Gamede said. The final squad announcement will be made on 23 June 2025 in Johannesburg. The team will then depart for Morocco shortly after. Twelve teams qualified for the 2024 Wafcon, which will take place from 5 to 26 July 2025. Banyana are in Group C, where they will face Ghana, Mali and Tanzania. DM
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Banyana's morale boosted for Wafcon by winning all their preparation games
Winning all their preparatory matches before the defence of their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title in July has left Banyana Banyana encouraged and confident. South Africa beat Zambia 2-0 in their Three Nations Challenge friendly at Lucas Moripe Stadium in their last warm-up before departing for the finals in Morocco. The Wafcon runs from July 5 to 26. Banyana open their tournament against Ghana at Honor Stadium in Oujda on July 7. 'We've played against Malawi, Botswana and Zambia, who are all going to Wafcon, so I think we've prepared well for the tournament,' Banyana left-back Bongeka Gamede said. 'We will be ready. The results we got from these games will build our momentum.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
Banyana Banyana close to being ready for Wafcon defence, says Gamede
Bongeka Gamede is confident that Banyana Banyana will be ready to defend their Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title after a perfect Tri-Nations series. Banyana were crowned champions of the series after beating Botswana 3–2 in the opener and Zambia 2–0 in the final game. While the results confirmed them as the best team in the mini-tournament, they were not at their best and had to dig deep in both matches. They nearly squandered a 3–0 half-time lead against Botswana and had to leave it late to secure the win over Zambia at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville. Banyana Banyana emerged as the winners of the #ThreeNations challenge on Tuesday, a tri-nations tournament that also featured Zambia and Botswana.#LiveTheImpossible @SABC_Sport — Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) June 3, 2025 As such, it took standout individual performances to get them across the line. Jermaine Seoposenwe scored a brace in the opener and the winner in the final match. Gamede also made her mark, scoring a stunning goal from a direct set-piece against the Copper Queens, underlining her versatility as a defender-cum-midfielder. Reflecting on the series, the Denmark-based footballer said team unity had played a vital role in helping them win both matches, particularly the encounter against Zambia. 'I would like to congratulate the girls on their performance. We knew their strengths and how to capitalise on them,' Gamede said, to the Sasol media department. 'I think we tried to make sure they didn't attack us as much as they would have liked. But it wasn't an easy game. 'We made mistakes here and there, but we were able to help each other as a team. Going forward, we also supported each other.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 🏆 ℙ𝕃𝔸𝕐𝔼ℝ 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕄𝔸𝕋ℂℍ 🏆 Banyana Banyana defender Lebohang Ramalepe! 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 🇿🇦 2⃣➖0⃣ 🇿🇲 𝐙𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 🚨 LIVE 📺 SABC Sport | SABC 2 🌐 📱 — SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) June 3, 2025 The series will prove valuable as Banyana continue their preparations for the continental showpiece, which is set to be held in Morocco from 5 to 26 July. With Botswana and Zambia also set to compete at the tournament, facing them now was a valuable learning experience for coach Desiree Ellis and her team. 'I think our chances of doing well at Wafcon are looking very good,' Gamede explained. 'We've played Malawi, Botswana and now Zambia – all of whom will be at Wafcon. 'So they've given us an idea of what the tournament will be like. From here, we'll continue preparing, and I think we'll be ready for Wafcon.'
