There is a version of this story where the Achilles ended it.
Thembi Kgatlana was on the pitch at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, in the tournament South Africa were about to win for the first time in their history, when her Achilles tendon ruptured. That is the injury that finishes careers. She was 26.
Four years later she is in Casablanca, back at a WAFCON, and she is the player Banyana Banyana are built around.
The basics
| Full name | Thembi Kgatlana |
| Born | 2 May 1996, Mohlakeng, Gauteng |
| Position | Forward |
| Height | 1.55m |
| Current club | Tigres UANL Femenil, Liga MX Femenil |
| National team | South Africa |
| Major honour | WAFCON winner, 2022 |
| Individual | CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year, 2018 |
Thembi Kgatlana’s career: Mohlakeng to five continents
Kgatlana came out of Mohlakeng, west of Johannesburg, and has since played professional football on more continents than most South African footballers of any gender.
| Years | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Houston Dash | United States |
| 2019 | Beijing BG Phoenix | China |
| 2020 | SL Benfica | Portugal |
| 2020 to 2021 | SD Eibar | Spain |
| 2023 | Racing Louisville | United States |
| Dec 2023 to present | Tigres UANL Femenil | Mexico |
She has also had a spell at Atlético Madrid. In Mexico she won the Liga MX Femenil Apertura title with Tigres in 2025, which is the sort of achievement that would be front-page news at home if she played the other code.
2018: the year everything happened at once
Kgatlana’s 2018 is one of the great individual seasons by a South African footballer.
At the Africa Women Cup of Nations she was both Player of the Tournament and top scorer. She was named CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year. She won CAF African Goal of the Year. She was named best player at the Cyprus Cup. She had already taken Player of the Tournament at the 2017 COSAFA Championship.
Player of the year on a continent, in one calendar year, at 22.
The two World Cup goals that matter
2019, against Spain. South Africa’s first goal at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, ever. They lost the match. It did not matter. The goal exists permanently.
2023, against Italy. The winner in a 3-2 result that gave South Africa their first ever World Cup victory and took them to the round of 16.
Two tournaments, two firsts, both hers. There is no other South African footballer with that record in the women’s game.
The injury, and what came after
The Achilles ruptured during the 2022 WAFCON, against Botswana. She missed the remainder of that season. South Africa went on to win the tournament without her on the pitch for the closing stages, which is a strange kind of medal to wear.
She was not at the following WAFCON edition either. Then she came back, moved to Mexico, won a league title there, and is now at a third WAFCON.
Coming back from an Achilles rupture at all is the achievement. Coming back and winning a foreign league title is something else.
What she gives Banyana in 2026
Pace, primarily, and the willingness to run at a defence that does not want to be run at.
South Africa’s problem in the opening defeat to Tanzania was not chance creation. They made roughly three clear openings to Tanzania’s one and scored from a corner. The problem was that when Tanzania sat in two banks of four, nobody could break the line. Kgatlana is the answer to that question, and against Côte d’Ivoire, who play a higher line under Reynald Pedros, she should have more space to work in than she did on Monday.
Opinion. At 30, this is probably her last realistic shot at a second continental title, and it arrives with the team a point off the bottom of its group. That is a difficult place to be and a very good place to be a great player.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Thembi Kgatlana?
She was born on 2 May 1996 in Mohlakeng, Gauteng, making her 30 during the 2026 WAFCON.
Which club does Thembi Kgatlana play for?
Tigres UANL Femenil in Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, having joined in December 2023. She previously played for Houston Dash, Beijing BG Phoenix, Benfica, Eibar, Atlético Madrid and Racing Louisville.
Did Thembi Kgatlana score South Africa’s first World Cup goal?
Yes. She scored South Africa’s first ever goal at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, against Spain in 2019. She also scored the winner against Italy in 2023 that gave South Africa their first World Cup win.
What awards has Thembi Kgatlana won?
CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2018, CAF African Goal of the Year in 2018, Player of the Tournament and top scorer at the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations, best player at the 2018 Cyprus Cup and Player of the Tournament at the 2017 COSAFA Championship. She won the WAFCON title with South Africa in 2022 and the Liga MX Femenil Apertura with Tigres in 2025.
What injury did Thembi Kgatlana have?
She ruptured her Achilles tendon during the 2022 WAFCON in a match against Botswana, and missed the remainder of that season.