Banyana Banyana will take a crucial step in their preparations for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco when they face Algeria in an international friendly at Princess Magogo Stadium in Durban on Tuesday, 14 April 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 15h00.
The postponement of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has reshaped Banyana Banyana’s preparations, with head coach Desiree Ellis now viewing the delay as a timely opportunity rather than a setback.
Originally scheduled for March 17 to April 3, the tournament was pushed to July 25 to August 16, a decision that initially disrupted plans but has since provided valuable breathing room for the squad.
“The disappointment was there of course, we were busy preparing, but in hindsight I think it’s also a blessing in disguise,” Ellis admitted, pointing to the uneven readiness within her squad at the time. With the domestic league yet to kick off, players were at varying stages of pre-season, with some lacking sufficient match fitness.
Ellis explained how this affected earlier competitions: “When we played the COSAFA [Women’s Championship] we tried to manage some minutes and that’s why we made so many changes, then WAFCON was postponed at the eleventh hour. Now we get to play two friendlies against Algeria and two friendlies against Japan.”
The delay has now allowed the technical team to recalibrate, scheduling four international friendlies against Algeria and Japan to build cohesion and fitness. The postponement of the WAFCON has created an opportunity for the coaches to assess local-based players alongside experienced internationals.
Looking ahead to Algeria, Ellis acknowledged the challenges they will face against a side that South Africa has beaten twice, drawn once and lost to on one occasion: “At the last WAFCON, [they were] very difficult to beat, they lost in the quarter finals to Ghana and they bring something different. We've played a lot of physical teams in the past, and now we will be playing another northern African team.
They're very good on the ball, very organized, very difficult to break down and good at going forward so it will challenge us in different areas [such as] tactical discipline, our defensive shape as well as in our attack and defence.”
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With WAFCON doubling as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and results remain important, Ellis stressed that squad rotation and player management will be critical, especially following the upcoming busy domestic schedule. Ultimately, the focus remains on fine-tuning tactical discipline and ensuring the team peaks at WAFCON in July.
The disappointment was there of course, we were busy preparing but in hindsight I think it's also a blessing in disguise. Our league didn't start at that time, players were coming from pre-season, different stages of their preseason – some two weeks, other three weeks and some didn’t even do pre-season. When we played the COSAFA [Women’s Championship] we tried to manage some minutes and that’s why we made so many changes, then WAFCON was postponed at the eleventh hour. Now we get to play two friendlies against Algeria and two friendlies against Japan.
The international team gets to play four friendlies, the league will start soon, we get to play again for match fitness. I think a lot of the international players will be ending their seasons, but I think they’re experienced enough to know how important the WAFCON is, but it gives us an opportunity now also to have a look at the players in the league. There’s still players that are coming back from an injury, and there are players that have changed clubs and that works for the better of the player, we’ve seen that before. I am really looking forward to the start of the season because we want to select the best squad available to give us that opportunity to first qualify for the world cup again.
We’ve played them in the off season, it was difficult because we also had a game against Zambia which we didn’t do well in, then played a win at home and a draw away from home, it was a tough team they've got a lot of experience from Europe with a lot of players playing in Europe. At the last WAFCON, very difficult to beat, they lost in the quarter finals to Ghana I think it was and they bring something different. We've played a lot of physical teams in the past, and now we will be playing another northern African team. They're very good on the ball, very organized, very difficult to break down and good at going forward so it will challenge us in different areas, tactical discipline, our defensive shape as well as in our attack and defence.
Yes we want to win the games, but it’s also an opportunity to have a look at players because how do you test these players if you don’t play them and the games come so quickly after each other, so we have to manage the minutes and the legs as well. A lot of players played also this past weekend in the Pirates Cup, a lot of games so we have to manage all of those and looking forward to the game against Algeria.
There was a reason why we did that at COSAFA, we needed to see as many players as possible we know what the other players can bring and then it was about getting as much games and getting as much opportunities to see the others, Bambanani [Mbane] is on for a 100th cap and Karabo [Dhlamini] is on for a 50th cap which is great great milestones they've been good servants to South African football and Bamba ever present, Karabo I remember when people must’ve thought I was crazy in 2019 when I took her to the World Cup as a 17-year old but look how she's matured and grown, she is probably one of the best left backs in the country at the moment if not on the continent at the moment. I am really looking forward to seeing them integrated, we did use them in training during the COSAFA, they just didn't play in the matches. We had a little extra camp after that to end of the FIFA week in March to be able to bring them back in and the others that we brought back from COSAFA, there is real opportunity, the quality and the experience that they bring, and I'm sure the newer and younger players can really really learn from that.
Match information:
South Africa vs. Algeria
Venue: Princess Magogo Stadium
Tickets: R30 Adults (Free entry for kids U/12)
Kickoff: 15H00
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