By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis has warned her players that they cannot afford to make mistakes when they face Nigeria’s Super Falcons in their crucial 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-in clash, Prompt News Online reports.
South Africa will take on Nigeria at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday, with a place in the inter-confederation playoffs at stake.
Banyana Banyana head into the encounter looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to hosts Morocco at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Ellis acknowledged the size of the task facing her side and stressed that they must be fully prepared, both mentally and physically, against the Super Falcons.
With their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance, the experienced tactician believes there is no margin for error against the Nigerians.
The South Africans will also be determined to end their recent poor run against the Super Falcons and make the most of their second opportunity to remain in contention for a place at the global showpiece.
Ellis is confident the pain of their WAFCON exit can provide extra motivation as Banyana Banyana battle their long-time rivals for a place in the next phase of the qualification playoffs.
‘It’s not the place we want to be but we’ve been given another opportunity, a very big opportunity to go on a very long journey,” Ellis was quoted by safa.net.
“We obviously have to bring our A game, there’s no margin for error, the disappointment of losing the previous game is going to probably drive us to get a positive result. It’s not going to be an easy game, two big guns of African football, not where we want to be and one of us not going further ahead to qualify for the World Cup.
“It’s a big game for us tomorrow, we know how big it is, the players know how big it is, I’m sure Nigeria know how big it is, we just have to do what we have to do, we just have to execute our plans and make sure that we are victorious at the end of the day.”
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