The two sides meet on Saturday night in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

Heading into the knockout stage, the defending champions, South Africa, were statistically the best team based on their superior goal difference. However, hosts Morocco and Nigeria also topped their respective groups with seven points – the same tally Banyana managed.

Banyana Banyana. Photo: SAFA

On paper, South Africa have a more favourable draw in the quarter-finals by facing Senegal, but they had to navigate a tough group that included Morocco, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Group C, Banyana beat Ghana 2-0, and were held to a 1-1 draw by a 10-woman Tanzania side, and then thumped Mali 4-0 to top the group.

Morocco and Nigeria have already booked their spots in the semi-finals following dominant performances on Friday night. Nigeria hammered Zambia’s Copper Queens 5-0, while Morocco beat Mali 3-1.

Confidence in the South African camp is high, especially after bouncing back strongly from their scare against Tanzania. However, the team remains mindful that this is the business end of the tournament, where every remaining match becomes significantly more challenging.

If South Africa win on Saturday – as they are widely tipped to do – they will face Nigeria in the semi-finals on Tuesday night.

Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis warned against complacency, stressing that while her team may be favourites on paper, Senegal are a battle-hardened side who deserve their spot in the quarter-finals.

“They came through a very tough group, and that speaks volumes about their quality,” said Ellis.

Banyana celebrating after scoring the crucial equaliser against Tanzania. Photo: SAFA

“Most of their matches – except for the one against DR Congo – were tight, with only a goal in it. We played them in June last year, but they’ve improved tremendously since then. We’ll have to be at our very best.

“It’s going to come down to fine margins. Knockout games and finals are never easy, so we need to be in control and do everything to the best of our ability. Keeping a clean sheet will also be crucial.

“Just because we’ve played them before doesn’t mean anything now. Past results count for nothing. They’re in the quarter-finals because they’ve earned their place, and we’ll need to be sharp to get the result.”

Saturday’s WAFCON quarter-final between South Africa and Senegal kicks off at 21:00 at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg