Ellis announces Banyana Banyana squad for WAFCON title defence

Coach Desiree Ellis has announced the final 26-player Banyana Banyana squad, selected to defend their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco next month.

The highly anticipated tournament kicks off on Saturday, July 5th, and culminates on Saturday, July 26th, 2025.

The journey to the final squad selection began on Thursday, June 19th, when Ellis assembled a preliminary 28-member group for a training camp in Johannesburg. After careful deliberation, the coach made her final cuts on Monday, June 23rd, announcing the definitive list at the SABC television studios in Auckland Park.

Banyana Banyana, who clinched their maiden WAFCON title in 2022 under Ellis’s leadership, are eager to defend their title. They’ll be based in Oujda for their group stage matches, where they face a challenging draw in Group C against Ghana, Mali, and Tanzania.

Their campaign kicks off against Ghana on July 7th, followed by clashes with Tanzania on July 11th, and Mali on July 14th, 2025.

Ellis’ troops will be led by a trio of experienced co-captains: Refiloe Jane, Lebohang Ramalepe, and Amogelang Motau.

However, the squad will be without the services of former CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year, Thembi Kgatlana, who is unavailable due to personal reasons.

In another significant development, this WAFCON marks the final international appearance for Jermaine Seoposenwe, who recently announced her surprising retirement from international football.

Casey Gordon and Nthabiseng Majiya will serve as standby players and will not travel with the team to Morocco.

BANYANA BANYANA WAFCON FINAL SQUAD