10 November 2026 – Sasol Banyana Banyana Head Coach Dr Desiree Ellis has named her squad of 23 players to take part in the upcoming 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-offs in Morocco.
The mini tournament will take place from 28 November to 5 December 2026. Dr Ellis has kept the bulk of the team that recently did national duty where they defeated Madagascar in back-to-back Olympic Games qualifiers in Bloemfontein, with the notable return of Denmark-based midfielder Sibulele Holweni who is receiving her first call-up since moving to Europe last month.
“There were other players that we were looking at but due to exams, injuries and lack of valid passports, we had to omit them. But we are happy with the selections we have made as they gives us a balanced squad that we believe will get the required outcomes in Morocco,” said Dr Ellis.
But Banyana Banyana will be without captain Refiloe Jane in the first match as she will be serving a one-match suspension after picking up two yellow cards in the WAFCON play-off clash against Nigeria back in August.
The World Cup play-off preliminary tournament will be played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat.
South Africa kick off their campaign against Chinese Taipei on Saturday, 28 November at 16h00 SA Time. The team will be back in action on Tuesday, 1 December against Ecuador at 21h00 SA Time, while the last match in the mini competition will be against Uzbekistan on Saturday, 5 December at 19h00 SA Time.
Ghana and Papua New Guinea are also taking part in the event. Only the top two nations from the play-off tournament will advance to the final round scheduled to be played in February next year.
“This is not the route we wanted to go, but we are here now. We are all aware that we have to get one of the top two spots, which makes the first match the most important because it sets the tone for the rest of the competition.
“With a positive result we will give ourselves the required momentum as well a huge boost because the games are going to come thick and fast. We know that in these tournaments there’s not a lot of time in between, hence I emphasize that the opening match will be the very crucial. We get that right and we stand a good chance of progressing,” added Dr Ellis.
In the final phase, six teams will contest for three spots in single knockout fixtures – these will be the two teams from the Play-offs, as well as an additional four – one each from UEFA and CONMEBOL, and two from CONCACAF.
The three winners in this phase will secure their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup tickets to Brazil.
Banyana Banyana assemble for camp on 18 November 2026 and depart the next day to Morocco.
Source: Original report at SAFA.
