By BAKANG MOKOTO
9 June 2025 – Banyana Banyana coach Dr Desiree Ellis has trimmed her preliminary squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) down to 28 players as she continues to fine-tune her list ahead of the continental tournament to be held in Morocco next month. Ellis initially announced a provisional squad of 46 players last month and 24 of the 28 players that have made this latest list will go into camp in Johannesburg on 19 June 2025.
She further said the 24 players will be joined by four overseas-based players at a later stage as they still have club commitments and with the date of assembly falling outside of the FIFA window, their arrival in camp will be delayed by a few days. Ellis added that Hildah Magaia will also join the camp at a later stage as she is still undergoing medical assessments following the recent #ThreeNations Challenge in Pretoria featuring Banyana Banyana, Zambia and Botswana.
“Thembi Kgatlana will not be part of the camp in Johannesburg and will also not be selected to the WAFCON-bound squad due to personal reasons. The final squad announcement will be made on 23 June 2025 in Johannesburg, and then the team will depart for Morocco shortly afterwards.
“The Sasol-sponsored African champions are in Group C and they will get their WAFCON campaign underway against Ghana on Monday, 7 July 2025 at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda. Oujda will be South Africa’s base during the group stages,” she said.
Ellis said Banyana Banyana will then face off against Tanzania on 11 July and finally Mali on 14 July 2025 in the group stages. She said the WAFCON tournament will be held in Morocco from 5-26 July 2025.
“The opening match will be played on 5 July 2025 between hosts Morocco and Zambia at the newly-built Olympic Stadium in Rabat,” said Ellis.
The Guardian 