Led by long-serving head coach Desiree Ellis and boosted by the return of striker Thembi Kgatlana, Banyana Banyana will once again be among the leading contenders in Morocco.
The report indicates that champions in 2022 before finishing fourth at the 2024 edition, South Africa head into the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to reclaim the continental title.
It further notes that led by long-serving head coach Desiree Ellis and boosted by the return of striker Thembi Kgatlana, Banyana Banyana will once again be among the leading contenders in Morocco.
As one of Africa’s six highest-ranked teams in the FIFA Women’s World Ranking, South Africa received a bye to the second round of the qualifiers.
Banyana Banyana were held to a 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first leg before securing qualification with a 1-0 victory in Soweto. Thembi Kgatlana scored the decisive goal to send the former champions through to Morocco 2026.
Desiree Ellis has overseen one of the most successful periods in the history of South African women’s football.
After serving as assistant coach at the 2016 Olympic Games, Ellis was appointed interim head coach before taking the role permanently in February 2018.
Under her leadership, South Africa have established themselves among Africa’s leading women’s national teams. After finishing runners-up in 2018, Ellis guided Banyana Banyana to their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022 before leading the team to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 edition.
Her achievements have been recognized with four CAF Women’s Coach of the Year awards, won in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
Ellis holds CAF A and B coaching licenses and has furthered her coaching education through programmes organized by the German Football Association (DFB) and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB).
In April 2024, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in recognition of her contribution to women’s football and sports leadership.
Thembi Kgatlana remains one of the most influential players in African women’s football.
The Tigres UANL forward helped South Africa lift the title in 2022 and was named CAF African Women’s Player of the Year in 2018.
Renowned for her pace, intelligent movement and clinical finishing with both feet and in the air, Kgatlana brings experience and proven quality to South Africa’s attack. Her return adds further strength to a squad aiming to challenge for the title once again.
South Africa at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s AFCON
