Desiree Ellis Makes Honest Call Ahead of Banyana Banyana's 2026 WAFCON Qualifier
- Desiree Ellis opens up ahead of Banyana Banyana's next match against DR Congo after 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations' disappointment
- The South African women's national will face DR Congo in the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
- The SA tactician made some demands from the team before the play their next match in three months
Banyana Banyana head coach Dr Desiree Ellis has made an honest demand ahead of South Africa's 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against DR Congo.
The South African tactician failed to lead Banyana Banyana to back-to-back WAFCON titles as they stumbled in the 2024 edition in Morocco. They finished fourth in the competition after losing to the Black Queens of Ghana in the third-place play-off.
SA finishing fourth didn't stop them from earning a big amount set aside for the competition, but they gained little compared to eventual winners Nigeria and runner-up Morocco.
Source: Getty Images
Ellis speaks on Banyana’s upcoming WAFCON qualifier
Ellis is currently under pressure to keep her job as Banyana Banyana's head coach, but she's focused on their next match in three months.
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She made some demands in terms of preparation ahead of the match after they were affected by a lack of preparation at the just-concluded WAFCON in Morocco.
“We have to prepare for the qualifier in October,” said Ellis. “We’re still waiting for confirmation on the COSAFA Cup dates, but regardless, this upcoming qualifier is of huge importance. DR Congo may have lost their opening match 4–0 in the last tournament, but they are a strong side. We faced them last year with a very young squad due to player unavailability, so we know they can’t be underestimated.”
Ellis emphasised that women’s football across Africa is rapidly improving, with more nations investing in their teams.
“These teams are growing and getting stronger. So we need to get our squad right and repeat the kind of detailed analysis we’ve done before. Credit to our analyst, everything he predicted about our opponents happened exactly as expected, from long balls to specific tactics. We trained for it, and it showed.”
Reflecting on the team’s performance in recent matches, Ellis pointed to their resilience.
“To execute a perfect game plan, you need more time. Between the quarter-final and semi-final, we only had two days, and one of them was a travel day. Still, the players didn’t look like a team that had played 120 minutes. That shows the grit and determination of this squad.”
Source: Getty Images
On squad selection and injuries, Ellis admitted the tournament brought challenges.
“CAF allowed us to travel with a larger squad, but we only took 22 players for reasons I cannot go into right now. We selected a balanced squad with depth and versatility, but injuries during the tournament limited our options, especially players who could cover multiple positions.
“We brought some young players along because we are always building for the future, and I think that was a big positive for us.”
Ellis speaks on her future as Banyana's coach
Briefly News also reported that Ellis has broken her silence concerning her future as Banyana Banyana coach after their poor performance at the 2024 WAFCON.
The SA tactician led the Women's national team to the title in 2022, but they failed to make a podium finish in the 2024 edition.
Source: Briefly News
