South Africa Unveils WAFCON Title Defence Squad

Desiree Ellis has nailed her colours to the mast. South Africa’s coach has gone with trusted World Cup-hardened core and a handful of compelling storylines as she unveiled her final 26-player squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

This is not just another continental campaign. From July 26 to August 16, WAFCON doubles as Africa’s road to Brazil, with the four semifinalists booking direct passage to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and two more nations getting a lifeline via intercontinental playoffs. One bad week, and a World Cup dream disappears.

Old guard, new stakes

Ellis has leaned heavily on players who have carried Banyana Banyana through the fire before.

Striker Thembi Kgatlana, the team’s cutting edge and constant outlet, is in. So too are midfield architects Linda Motlhalo and captain Refiloe Jane, the pair expected to dictate the tempo in Morocco. At the back, stalwart defenders Lebohang Ramalepe and Bambanani Mbane return, while goalkeepers Kaylin Swart and Andile Dlamini again form a reliable last line.

There is also a comeback that tugs at the heart.

Robyn Moodaly-Salgado, who had previously retired from football, is back in the national setup. She will share a dressing room – and a tournament – with her spouse, Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado, also named in the squad. Gabriela’s inclusion carries its own weight: she suffered a horrific broken leg at the last WAFCON, a moment that stunned the squad and cast doubt on her future. Now, she returns to the very stage that nearly ended it all.

Up front, Ellis has kept faith with a proven big-game finisher. Hildah Magaia, currently unattached at club level, makes the cut. Her name is written into South African football history after her brace in the 2022 final against Morocco delivered Banyana Banyana’s first and only continental crown. Form is one thing; finals pedigree is another. Ellis clearly values the latter.

Group B: no room for slip-ups

South Africa have been drawn in Group B and will open their campaign against Tanzania in Casablanca on July 27. Four days later, they meet Ivory Coast, before rounding off the group against Burkina Faso on August 4.

The equation is simple: the top two teams in each pool move into the quarterfinals. From there, one step at a time towards the semifinals and those prized World Cup tickets.

For a squad that knows the weight of expectation, there is no need to dress it up.

Jane: ‘We know what is at stake’

Captain Refiloe Jane did not sugarcoat the challenge.

She acknowledged that the previous edition “did not go very well” and underlined how sharply the team understands the stakes this time. The primary objective is clear in her mind: qualify for the World Cup first, then chase everything else that comes with it.

Her own journey into this tournament has already taken a twist. An injury setback threatened to disrupt her preparations, but the postponement of WAFCON turned into an unlikely advantage. It allowed her to recover fully, regain rhythm with TS Galaxy Queens FC, and arrive in camp with meaningful minutes in her legs.

Jane described the delay as a “blessing in disguise”. With domestic leagues now up and running, she believes the entire squad benefits from having competitive football behind them rather than drifting in off-season rust. Personally, she is “happy” to start with the team “on a high note and build from there”, crediting the return of league action for sharpening individual performances across their clubs.

Filling Seoposenwe’s void

One absence hangs over this squad.

Veteran midfielder Jermaine Seoposenwe has stepped away, and Jane was candid about the gap left behind. She called Seoposenwe a “special” presence whose influence stretched beyond the pitch – the kind of senior figure whose departure always leaves a mark.

Jane’s hope now is that the younger players have absorbed enough from Seoposenwe’s example to carry those standards forward. With the core of the title-winning group still intact, South Africa will lean on shared experience and leadership by committee rather than a single talismanic figure.

The mission, though, remains unchanged. Defend the WAFCON crown. Secure a ticket to Brazil. Do both if they can.

The 26 chosen to defend a title – and chase a ticket to Brazil

• Goalkeepers: Kaylin Swart (JVW FC), Andile Dlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Kebotseng Moletsane (University of Fort Hare FC)
• Defenders: Lebohang Ramalepe (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Lonathemba Mhlongo (The University of the Western Cape FC), Karabo Dhlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Asanda Hadebe (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Bambanani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Antonia Maponya (The University of the Western Cape FC), Khutso Pila (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Fikile Magama (The University of the Western Cape FC)
• Midfielders: Bongeka Gamede (FC Nordjaelland, Denmark), Noxolo Cesane (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Gabriela Moodaly-Salgado (JVW FC), Linda Motlhalo (Glasgow City, Scotland), Nonhlanhla Mathandi (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Refiloe Jane (TS Galaxy Queens FC), Sibulele Holweni (The University of the Western Cape FC), Isabella Ludwig (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Amogelang Motau (Club Tijuana, Mexico)
• Forwards: Hildah Magaia (unattached), Thembi Kgatlana (Tigres UANL, Mexico), Ronnel Donnelly (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Nthabiseng Majiya (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Zoe October (The University of the Western Cape FC)

The names are familiar. The stakes are higher. In Casablanca, South Africa will discover whether experience, resilience and a reunited core can carry Banyana Banyana back to the summit of Africa – and on to the World Cup stage in Brazil.