CASABLANCA — South Africa’s 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign is hanging by a thread, but the thread remains intact.
Following a devastating and sloppy 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in their Group B opener, Banyana Banyana entered Friday evening’s clash against Ivory Coast staring down the barrel of early elimination. For 70 minutes, it looked as though their tournament, and their 2027 World Cup qualification hopes, were officially dead in the water.
However, a spirited second-half comeback, capped by a breathtaking 99th-minute equalizer from substitute Hildah Magaia, salvaged a 2-2 draw and kept Desiree Ellis’s side in the fight.
Lightning Strikes Twice on the Counter
Coach Desiree Ellis made notable changes heading into this crucial fixture, opting to start Kaylin Swart in goal over Andile Dlamini after the latter’s shaky performance against Tanzania. She also retained veteran defender Bambanani Mbane in the starting XI, despite off-field distractions following Mbane’s controversial social media response to fans earlier in the week.
Despite dominating early possession, echoing the narrative of their opening match, South Africa’s Achilles’ heel was exposed once again: vulnerability to the counter-attack.
Ivory Coast, content to sit deep and absorb pressure, ruthlessly punished Banyana on the break. In the 19th minute, a swift transition saw Ouedraogo tee up Grace Sery, who fired past Swart to open the scoring. Just 17 minutes later, history repeated itself. Swart rushed out of her box to close down an advancing Sery, but was left stranded as the Ivorian forward calmly doubled the lead, sending South Africa into the halftime break in a 2-0 hole.
A Dramatic Rescue Mission
As the hour mark passed, South Africa’s momentum appeared to be fading, and a disastrous second defeat loomed. But in the 71st minute, the spark finally arrived. After substitute Ronnel Donnelly scuffed a shot on the turn, South Africa recycled the ball to Thembi Kgatlana. The Tigres UANL star, who had been heavily marshalled all evening, blasted the ball home to cut the deficit in half and ignite a frantic final stanza.
The closing moments produced pure theatre. In the 95th minute, South Africa thought they had their equalizer when Magaia tapped in a blocked shot from Lebo Ramalepe, only for the celebrations to be cut short by the offside flag, a decision confirmed by a tense VAR check.
Refusing to yield, Banyana threw everything forward in the dying seconds of the allotted seven minutes of stoppage time. In the 99th minute, a crucial flick-on from Donnelly fell perfectly for Hildah Magaia, who smashed a half-volley past Ivorian goalkeeper Aminata Diakite to seal a dramatic 2-2 draw.
Group B Standings (As of July 31, 2026)
With Tanzania and Burkina Faso set to play their late kick-off, the current Group B picture leaves South Africa with a mountain to climb.
Position | Team | Matches Played | Points | Goal Difference |
1 | Ivory Coast | 2 | 4 | +3 |
2 | Tanzania | 1 | 3 | +1 |
3 | South Africa | 2 | 1 | -1 |
4 | Burkina Faso | 1 | 0 | – |
(Note: The top two teams in the group will progress to the WAFCON quarter-finals, where the four semi-finalists will earn automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil).
Do-or-Die Against Burkina Faso
What does this mean for the 2022 champions? The math is incredibly simple, even if the execution will be difficult: South Africa must win their final pool match.
Banyana Banyana will take on Burkina Faso on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. A draw or a loss will guarantee their elimination and definitively end their 2027 World Cup dreams. Even with a victory, Ellis’s squad will have one eye on the permutations, hoping goal difference and the head-to-head tiebreakers fall in their favour depending on how Ivory Coast and Tanzania fare in their remaining fixtures.
While the defensive lapses on the counter-attack remain a glaring issue, the sheer grit shown in Casablanca to erase a 2-0 deficit proves that the fight hasn’t left this South African squad just yet.
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