Banyana determined to face Falcons for World Cup chance

South African players are still hopeful about playing at the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. They are preparing for a tough play-off against Nigeria on Thursday, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Banyana Banyana missed out on an automatic World Cup spot after losing 2-1 to Morocco in Rabat on Saturday. Meanwhile, Nigeria lost 1-0 to Cameroon in Casablanca on Sunday.

The remaining automatic World Cup spots also went to Cameroon, Algeria, and WAFCON newcomers Malawi. This leaves four other teams to compete for two spots in the CAF-organized play-offs before the winners move on to the inter-continental play-offs.

“The goal is still the same,” Karabo Dhlamini told ESPN. “We’ll try our best to win the play-offs because we still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup.”

She added, “Coming into the game, the team did very well, but that first goal just broke our momentum. We’re not feeling happy, we’re disappointed, but it’s not the end of the world. We’re going to lift our heads up and focus on the next goal. The focus is to score more goals and win the game.”

Like Nigeria, South Africa had a tough start at the 2026 WAFCON. They lost to Tanzania in their first game but managed a draw against Ivory Coast and then beat Burkina Faso to move forward.

“Going into the next game, it’s very important for us to lift our heads up,” Bambanani Mbane told ESPN. “It’s not over yet. We must do our best, and we will do our best. I’m disappointed, but I’m happy for Morocco. It’s part of the game. We did well, we did our best, but unfortunately, things weren’t on our side.”

Now, South Africa is set to face the Super Falcons. The Falcons also lost to Cameroon. This match will take place at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday. The winner will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs with nine other teams.

This mini-tournament is planned for November and December. Three teams will earn the last three spots for the World Cup.

“We’re not out of it,” head coach Desiree Ellis said. “We didn’t want to go down that route, but it’s been thrown at us. We need to get ready for the next game mentally, get ready for it physically, we need to recover quickly.”