{"id":8635,"date":"2025-06-05T11:02:01","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T09:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=8635"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:32:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:32:39","slug":"banyana-banyana-head-to-wafcon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/banyana-banyana-head-to-wafcon\/","title":{"rendered":"Banyana Banyana Head to WAFCON with Confidence After Winning All Warm-Up Matches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Banyana Banyana are brimming with belief as they prepare to defend their Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) crown next month, following an unbeaten streak in all their preparatory matches. With a clean sweep of victories against fellow continental contenders, the national side now heads into the prestigious tournament in Morocco with heads held high and spirits lifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-convincing-finish-to-preparations\"><strong>Convincing Finish to Preparations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In their final friendly before departing for WAFCON, South Africa clinched a convincing 2-0 win over Zambia during the Three Nations Challenge at Lucas Moripe Stadium. That result saw them lift the mini-tournament trophy after a prior 3-2 win over Botswana. The round-robin format was arranged to offer valuable match fitness and tactical assessment ahead of the July showdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tournament, which runs from 5 to 26 July, will see Banyana begin their campaign against Ghana at Honor Stadium in Oujda on 7 July. Their group-stage clash against the West Africans is widely anticipated, with both nations tipped to go deep into the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3614146458\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-players-backing-each-other\"><strong>Players Backing Each Other<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Defender Bongeka Gamede believes the team\u2019s preparations have laid a solid foundation. \u201cFacing Malawi, Botswana and Zambia \u2013 all WAFCON-bound teams \u2013 gave us competitive match exposure,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re gaining rhythm, and these results are a boost heading into Morocco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gamede also found the back of the net against Zambia, alongside seasoned forward Jermaine Seoposenwe, whose experience is expected to be pivotal in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-team-spirit-and-tactical-growth\"><strong>Team Spirit and Tactical Growth<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Right-back Lebogang Ramalepe, who was named Player of the Match against Zambia, echoed the sentiment of growing confidence, noting that while the team is buoyed by the recent success, there&#8217;s still room for progress. \u201cWinning the Three Nations Challenge has certainly lifted morale. But WAFCON is a different battlefield,\u201d she stated. \u201cWe need to stay mentally sharp and work harder on our finishing. Also, keeping the unity and desire to fight for each other will be key.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udfc6 \u2119\ud835\udd43\ud835\udd38\ud835\udd50\ud835\udd3c\u211d \ud835\udd46\ud835\udd3d \ud835\udd4b\u210d\ud835\udd3c \ud835\udd44\ud835\udd38\ud835\udd4b\u2102\u210d \ud83c\udfc6<br><br>Banyana Banyana defender Lebohang Ramalepe!<br><br>\ud835\udc12\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc21 \ud835\udc00\ud835\udc1f\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc1a \ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6 2\u20e3\u27960\u20e3 \ud83c\uddff\ud83c\uddf2 \ud835\udc19\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1a<br><br>\ud83d\udea8 LIVE<br>\ud83d\udcfa SABC Sport | SABC 2<br>\ud83c\udf10 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hibb8lgo8P\">https:\/\/t.co\/hibb8lgo8P<\/a><br>\ud83d\udcf1 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/26PdrPrnVE\">https:\/\/t.co\/26PdrPrnVE<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SABCSportFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#SABCSportFootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vFPhNikt85\">pic.twitter.com\/vFPhNikt85<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SABC_Sport\/status\/1929917456136405394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1368114601\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-coach-cautiously-optimistic\"><strong>Coach Cautiously Optimistic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Head coach Desiree Ellis remains grounded despite the string of victories. She sees the positive results as confirmation that her squad is heading in the right direction but maintains that there\u2019s still fine-tuning to be done. \u201cWinning this tournament gives us encouragement, but we cannot afford to relax. We need to polish certain details and be fully prepared for every scenario,\u201d Ellis explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She also warned against underestimating their rivals in Morocco. \u201cThere\u2019s been visible growth across Africa. Every nation has been playing friendlies and refining their squads. We\u2019ll show respect to every opponent \u2013 but we don\u2019t fear anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f \u2102\ud835\udd46\ud835\udd38\u2102\u210d&#39;\ud835\udd4a \u211d\ud835\udd3c\ud835\udd38\u2102\ud835\udd4b\ud835\udd40\ud835\udd46\u2115 \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f<br><br>\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f &quot;\ud835\ude86\ud835\ude8e \ud835\udea0\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude8d \ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude98 \ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9c\ud835\ude9d \ud835\ude98\ud835\ude9e\ud835\ude9b \ud835\ude9f\ud835\ude8e\ud835\ude9b\ud835\ude9c\ud835\ude8a\ud835\ude9d\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude95\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude9d\ud835\udea2&quot;<br><br>Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis following their victory over Zambia!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SABCSportFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#SABCSportFootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ryhUh7OHAI\">pic.twitter.com\/ryhUh7OHAI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SABC_Sport\/status\/1929921088491844086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">June 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-flawless-friendly-record-builds-momentum\"><strong>Flawless Friendly Record Builds Momentum<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Banyana\u2019s 2025 warm-up campaign has been flawless so far, underlining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeslive.co.za\/sport\/soccer\/2025-06-04-banyanas-morale-boosted-for-wafcon-by-winning-all-their-preparation-games\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the squad<\/a>\u2019s consistency and growing cohesion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>22 Feb<\/strong>: 1-0 win vs Lesotho<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>24 Feb<\/strong>: 2-0 win vs Lesotho<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>5 Apr<\/strong>: 3-0 win vs Malawi<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>8 Apr<\/strong>: 2-1 win vs Malawi<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>28 May<\/strong>: 3-2 win vs Botswana<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>4 Jun<\/strong>: 2-0 win vs Zambia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The unbroken run of victories paints a promising picture ahead of WAFCON, with Ellis\u2019s side showcasing both defensive discipline and attacking potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2844924138\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-confidence-high-but-eyes-on-the-prize\"><strong>Confidence High, But Eyes on the Prize<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With the tournament just weeks away, Banyana Banyana have every reason to believe they can once again rise to the occasion. While the team\u2019s confidence has grown through their preparatory matches, the coaching staff and players are focused on staying humble, improving match by match, and fighting to retain the continental title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporters across the country will be rallying behind the squad as they look to bring home more glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/broos-defends-exclusion-chiefs-players\/\">Hugo Broos Defends Decision to Exclude Kaizer Chiefs Players from Bafana Squad<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Banyana Banyana are brimming with belief as they prepare to defend their Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) crown next month, following an unbeaten streak in all their preparatory matches. With a clean sweep of victories against fellow continental contenders, the national side now heads into the prestigious tournament in Morocco with heads held high<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8636,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"Banyana Banyana are brimming with belief as they prepare to defend their Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) crown next month, following an unbeaten streak...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[2593,288,2594],"class_list":{"0":"post-8635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-banyana-banyana","10":"tag-soccer","11":"tag-wafcon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8638,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8635\/revisions\/8638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}