Some teams make you proud when they win. Banyana Banyana made a nation proud long before they won anything, and then, one July night in Morocco, they finally did. If you want to understand women’s football in South Africa, start here. This is the Banyana Banyana team history in one place: where it began, the night the waiting stopped, the Olympic and World Cup stories, the rivalry that defines them, and where the team stands today.
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Banyana Banyana, usually translated as “the girls” |
| Governing body | South African Football Association (SAFA) |
| First international | May 1993, against Swaziland (now Eswatini) |
| Head coach (as at 13 October 2026) | Desiree Ellis |
| Major honour | Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, 2022 |
| Women’s World Cups | 2019 (France), 2023 (Australia and New Zealand) |
| Olympic Games | London 2012, Rio 2016 |
Banyana Banyana team history: from 1993 to the first finals
South Africa’s women’s team played its first officially recognised international in May 1993, against Swaziland, now Eswatini. The women were not going to wait their turn. One of the players that day was Desiree Ellis, and she scored a hat-trick. Al Jazeera’s account puts the final score at 14-0. Hold on to her name. It comes back.
The decades that followed were a story of nearly. Banyana kept reaching the final of the continental championship, now the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), and kept losing it. By Sowetan’s count, three of those final defeats came against Nigeria, the most painful of them in 2018, when a goalless final went to penalties and Nigeria won the shoot-out.
Good enough to get there. Not yet good enough to finish.
2022: the night in Rabat
Then came 23 July 2022. Banyana faced the hosts, Morocco, in the WAFCON final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, in front of a home crowd that wanted the trophy just as badly. Hildah Magaia scored twice in the second half, Rosella Ayane pulled one back, and South Africa held on to win 2-1 (CAF).
It was South Africa’s first continental title in women’s football, after losing every final they had reached before. The coach on the touchline was Desiree Ellis, the same player who had scored that hat-trick in 1993.
Cameroon won WAFCON 2026 and are the current champions of Africa. Banyana are the 2022 champions, and nobody takes that night away. The men have their Africa Cup of Nations memories. Rabat belongs to the women, and they made it count.
The Olympic story
Banyana’s first trip to the Olympics, London 2012, was a crash course. They lost 4-1 to Sweden, with Portia Modise scoring their only goal of the Games, and 3-0 to Canada. Then, in Cardiff, they held Japan, the reigning world champions, to a goalless draw (Sport24; Brand South Africa). One point, and proof that they could live with the best.
They went back in 2016 and again left Rio after the group stage, with a 0-0 draw against the hosts, Brazil, the highlight (City Press).
Then the door closed. Banyana missed Tokyo 2020, beaten by Botswana in qualifying, and Paris 2024, when Nigeria knocked them out 1-0 on aggregate in the final round (Daily Maverick). Ellis noted in October 2026, in comments published by SAFA, that South Africa had qualified for two Games in a row before missing the last two.
The road to Los Angeles 2028 is long and narrow: only two African teams will qualify (TimesLIVE). On Tuesday 13 October 2026, Banyana host Madagascar at 18:00 SAST at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in the second leg of their second-round tie, leading 4-0 from the first leg on Friday 9 October (SAFA). Our Banyana Banyana v Madagascar preview has the team news and the build-up.
World Cups: from debut to the knockouts
South Africa reached their first Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. They lost 3-1 to Spain, 1-0 to China and 4-0 to Germany (FIFA). But Thembi Kgatlana’s goal against Spain made her the first South African to score at a Women’s World Cup, and that mattered.
Four years later, in Australia and New Zealand, Banyana came back better. After a defeat by Sweden and a 2-2 draw with Argentina, they needed to beat Italy in Wellington. They did, 3-2, with Magaia scoring and Kgatlana winning it in stoppage time (Al Jazeera; City Press). It was South Africa’s first win at a Women’s World Cup, and it took them into the knockout rounds for the first time. The Netherlands ended the run with a 2-0 win in the round of 16 in Sydney (News24; FARPost), but the point had been made.
A third World Cup, in Brazil in 2027, is still within reach. The dated section below explains how.
Identity and fan culture
The name says plenty. Banyana Banyana is usually translated as “the girls”, a partner to Bafana Bafana, the men’s team (US Soccer; Daily Maverick). Bafana’s own road to the next men’s Africa Cup of Nations is on our Bafana Bafana AFCON 2027 qualifiers page.
The 2022 homecoming showed what this team means. Fans in bright colours danced and celebrated at OR Tambo International Airport when the champions landed, and the next day President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted the squad at the Union Buildings, telling them they had made the nation proud (SuperSport; Business Report).
Several of the squad play their club football abroad: when the team gathered for the Madagascar tie, SAFA listed players based in Mexico, Scotland, Denmark and Saudi Arabia, among them Kgatlana, Linda Motlhalo and Magaia.
Rivalries: Nigeria, always Nigeria
Every great team needs a measuring stick, and for Banyana it has always been the Super Falcons of Nigeria. Nigeria beat them in WAFCON finals, including that 2018 shoot-out. Nigeria ended the Paris 2024 dream. Nigeria beat them again in the semi-finals of the 2024 WAFCON, played in 2025, on the way to the title (IOL).
But the gap has closed. Banyana opened their 2022 title run by beating Nigeria 2-1 in Rabat, through Jermaine Seoposenwe and Magaia (Sowetan; Soccer Laduma). And on 13 August 2026, in a one-off World Cup play-off in Casablanca, Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane scored in a 2-1 win that kept South Africa’s hopes of Brazil alive (TimesLIVE; SuperSport).
As at 13 October 2026: coach, squad and what comes next
This section is dated. Coaches, squads and fixtures change, and ScoreLine will update it as SAFA confirms changes.
The coach. Desiree Ellis is Banyana Banyana’s head coach (SAFA). She took charge on an interim basis in 2016, after the Rio Olympics, and SAFA made the appointment permanent in February 2018 (News24; The Citizen). CAF named her its Women’s Coach of the Year four times between 2018 and 2023.
The last few months. WAFCON 2026 in Morocco did not bring a second title; Cameroon won it. Banyana’s route to the 2027 Women’s World Cup now runs through FIFA’s intercontinental play-off tournament, which decides the last three places at the finals. The preliminary phase is played between 24 November and 5 December 2026: six teams, three matches each, with the top two going through to a final phase from 23 February to 6 March 2027. Banyana’s first opponent is Chinese Taipei, with venues and dates still to be confirmed (FIFA).
The squad direction. For the Olympic tie with Madagascar, Ellis kept most of the group that went to WAFCON and added one newcomer (TimesLIVE). The mix is clear: experienced players based abroad, such as Kgatlana, Motlhalo and Magaia, alongside players pushing for a first chance. SAFA has already pointed to the World Cup play-offs next month, so every minute in Bloemfontein counts.
Beyond the Score: why Banyana matter
Strip away the trophies and the results, and the Banyana story is about persistence. A team formed in 1993 lost final after final and kept coming back. A player who scored a hat-trick in its first match grew into the coach who finally won the continent. Young fans who watched the 2022 final now know the biggest night is possible, because they saw it.
That is why the next few months carry real weight. A place in Brazil would be a third World Cup in a row. A return to the Olympics would end the wait that began after Rio. Neither is promised. Both are within reach of a team that has spent three decades proving people wrong.
This page is part of ScoreLine’s series on the national teams, alongside our guide to the Proteas Test team. And for everything else happening in South African sport today, start with Fluit’s Five.
Frequently asked questions
What does Banyana Banyana mean?
Banyana Banyana is usually translated as “the girls”. The name pairs with Bafana Bafana, the nickname of South Africa’s men’s national team.
Have Banyana Banyana ever won WAFCON?
Yes. Banyana Banyana won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, beating the hosts, Morocco, 2-1 in the final in Rabat on 23 July, with Hildah Magaia scoring both goals. It was South Africa’s first continental title. Cameroon won the 2026 tournament and are the current champions.
Have Banyana Banyana played at the Olympics?
Yes, twice. They played at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and went out in the group stage both times. They missed Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and are now trying to qualify for Los Angeles 2028, where Africa has only two places.
How have Banyana Banyana done at the Women’s World Cup?
South Africa have played at two Women’s World Cups. At France 2019 they lost all three group games. At the 2023 tournament in Australia and New Zealand they beat Italy 3-2 for their first World Cup win and reached the round of 16, where the Netherlands beat them 2-0.
Who is the Banyana Banyana coach?
As at 13 October 2026, Desiree Ellis is the head coach. She took over on an interim basis in 2016 and was appointed permanently in February 2018. She led the team to the 2022 WAFCON title, and she played in Banyana’s first international in 1993.