Banyana Banyana Ready To Pounce On Super Falcons’ Setback, Says Ellis

Banyana Banyana Ready To Pounce On Super Falcons’ Setback, Says Ellis

By Our Reporter 

South Africa coach Desiree Ellis believes Banyana Banyana have the quality to defeat Nigeria on Thursday and keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The decisive African play-off in Casablanca comes after both teams were eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title race at the quarter-final stage.

South Africa suffered a 2-1 defeat to hosts Morocco on Saturday, while Nigeria were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon on Sunday, leaving the two continental giants to battle for one of Africa’s two tickets to the inter-confederation play-offs for the World Cup in Brazil.

Despite the disappointment of losing to Morocco, Ellis drew encouragement from her team’s performance and believes it has given Banyana Banyana the confidence to overcome Nigeria.

“I can be very proud of the team. We knew how important this game was, and I think everybody that stepped onto the field can be proud that they gave everything,” Ellis said.

The South African coach congratulated Morocco on securing their place at the World Cup but stressed that her own team’s qualification campaign remains alive.

With little time to recover from the quarter-final defeat, Ellis said her technical staff must immediately turn their attention to the Nigeria clash.

“We didn’t want to go that route, but it’s been thrown at us. The dice turned the other way, and we reminded them that we need to get ready for that game,” she said.

Rather than dwell on the setback against the hosts, Ellis insisted that her side must focus on the opportunity that remains.

“We are just focusing on the next game, but obviously we’ll have to recover really quickly and then prepare for that game,” she added.

For Nigeria, the defeat by Cameroon has made the route to Brazil considerably more difficult. The Super Falcons now face a must-win encounter against South Africa if they are to maintain their hopes of reaching the 2027 World Cup.

Victory in Thursday’s play-off will not secure an immediate place at the tournament but will send the winner into the global play-off tournament, where two stages stand between the African qualifiers and the World Cup.

According to FIFA’s qualification format, the two African teams emerging from the continental play-offs will join sides from other confederations in the global play-off tournament.

The first phase is scheduled for November and December 2026 at a centralised venue. Six teams — two from Asia, two from Africa, one from South America and one from Oceania — will compete for two places in the final play-off phase.

The final phase, scheduled for February 2027, will feature the two teams that advance from the first stage alongside two teams from North and Central America, one from South America and one from Europe.

The six teams will be divided into three knockout paths, with the winners of each path securing the final three World Cup places. Teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn in the same path.

With only three teams ultimately advancing from the global play-offs, Thursday’s encounter in Casablanca represents a critical step for both Nigeria and South Africa.

For the Super Falcons, anything less than victory will bring their Brazil 2027 ambitions to an end. For Banyana Banyana, a win would keep their World Cup dream firmly alive.