South African star Motlhalo renews Glasgow City romance

South Africa women’s national team’s influential winger Linda Motlhalo has renewed her contract with Glasgow City FC in Scotland.

In a statement, the Scottish Power Women’s Premier League (SWPL) club confirmed that the star will play for them until 2027.

“We are delighted to announce that South African international Linda Motlhalo has extended her stay at Glasgow City, signing a new contract which will run until the summer of 2027,” reads part of the statement.

“Across her two spells with The Original Trailblazers, having returned in February 2025, our No.20 has made 71 appearances and was part of our ScottishPower Women’s Premier League title-winning squad in 2022/23.

Glasgow City say they always remember the Banyana Banyana player’s heroics in their march to the league winner’s podium in the 2023 campaign.

“The midfielder became synonymous with that triumph, bagging the assist for Lauren Davidson’s 92nd-minute winner, which secured the league trophy against Rangers at Ibrox,” adds the statement.

“This season, Linda has been a key player in the squad, making 21 appearances thus far, including seven in Europe across the UEFA Champions League and the Europa Cup.”

Linda Motlhalo’s own words

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) winner has since expressed her delight at the contract renewal.

“I have extended my stay in Glasgow because I have always said that it is a home. We are a family here more than anything, and that is important for me. The biggest thing is happiness, and I’m happy here so that’s why I wanted to stay,” Motlhalo said.

“What do I hope to achieve? It’s very simple – it’s about winning the league. That’s the biggest thing for me. Last season, we came up short in the cup competitions, so winning those cup games has to be the aim for us now, as well.”

The Banyana Banyana winger is a key member of Glasgow City who sit five points clear at the top of the SWPL log table. The leaders are also in the Sky Sports Cup semi-final, and face Hibernian this weekend at Meadowbank.

In South Africa, she is expected to make the final squad for the forthcoming WAFCON finals. South Africa were drawn in Group B alongside Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania.

WAFCON 2026 GROUPS:

Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya

Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania

Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi

Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde