Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has applauded the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following the release of the revised fixtures for the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The tournament will kick off on 26 July, with South Africa now scheduled to begin their campaign a day later than initially planned.
The South African senior women’s national team, who won the continental title in 2022, will also now be based in Casablanca instead of Rabat following changes made after the draw.
Ellis welcomed the adjustments, particularly the additional recovery time between matches.
“The new fixture gives us three days of rest in-between matches instead of the previous one where we only had two days to recover. This move is a clear indication that the welfare of players has been taken into consideration, more so because of the hot conditions expected during the tournament period.
“We applaud CAF for that move and say thank you, as this will help most teams,” said Ellis.
Banyana Banyana will play all their Group B matches at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.
Their opening match will be against Tanzania on Monday, 27 July, at 7pm, instead of Sunday, 26 July as initially scheduled.
Ellis’ charges will then face Côte d’Ivoire at the same venue and time, before wrapping up their group-stage campaign against Burkina Faso at 10pm.
The 2026 WAFCON carries added importance for all 16 participating nations, as the top four teams will qualify automatically for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“What is also exciting is that now we have the confirmed fixtures, and we are able to plan thoroughly for the competition. We will now go full blast with our plans,” added the Banyana Banyana mentor.
“This is a very important tournament, and the mission remains the same for us: we want to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
“Now that we have all the information regarding the 2026 WAFCON, we will announce our plans soon, and this includes naming the final squad for the tournament.”
Hosts Morocco will open the tournament against Kenya on 26 July at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
The quarter-finals are scheduled for 8 and 9 August across four venues: Moulay El Hassan Stadium and Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, as well as Moulay Rachid Stadium and Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
Rabat will host the semi-finals on Wednesday, 12 August, at Moulay El Hassan Stadium and the Olympic Stadium.
The third-place play-off will take place on Saturday, 15 August at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, while the final is scheduled for Sunday, 16 August, at either Moulay El Hassan Stadium or Moulay Abdallah Stadium.
Nigeria are the defending champions after defeating Morocco in last year’s final. Ghana finished third, while South Africa claimed fourth place.
