Desiree Ellis isn’t dwelling on how South Africa’s WAFCON campaign ended, instead turning her side’s full focus toward a World Cup lifeline against Nigeria on Thursday.
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South Africa head coach Desiree Ellis has stressed the importance of her team being fully prepared for Thursday’s crucial World Cup play-in clash against Nigeria’s Super Falcons, with both nations needing to recover quickly after painful WAFCON 2026 quarterfinal exits.
“We’re not out of it. We didn’t want to go down that route, but it’s been thrown at us,” Ellis said, quoted by ESPN. “We need to get ready for the next game mentally, get ready for it physically, we need to recover quickly.”
Banyana Banyana were eliminated from the tournament last Saturday following a 2-1 defeat to hosts Morocco, while Nigeria’s own title hopes ended a day later with a narrow 1-0 loss to Cameroon at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca. The two eliminated giants of African women’s football now meet again with a World Cup lifeline on the line. Fans following Thursday’s play-in can check Bet9ja’s current promo code ahead of kickoff.
The match is set for the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Thursday, with the winner advancing to the intercontinental play offs, where they will join nine other teams from around the world competing for places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Only three of those eleven teams will ultimately secure qualification when the play-offs are staged in November and December 2026.
Ellis knows this fixture better than most. She has faced Nigeria at multiple WAFCON tournaments during her time in charge of South Africa, including guiding Banyana Banyana to the 2022 continental title, a rare occasion African football’s biggest name failed to lift the trophy. New Bet9ja users following the play-in can check how to get the Bet9ja promotion code before Thursday’s decisive clash.
For Nigeria, Thursday represents a chance to keep alive their record of appearing at every FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991, a streak that would end for the first time if South Africa manage to get past them. Punters following the fixture can check Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code as kickoff approaches.
Ellis’s message to her players is straightforward treat the setback against Morocco as motivation rather than a burden, and make sure South Africa are the side better prepared, mentally and physically, when the two nations meet again on Thursday.
📌 Did You Know?
- Desiree Ellis led South Africa to the 2022 WAFCON title, one of the few times Nigeria has not won the tournament in the modern era.
- South Africa’s quarterfinal elimination came via a 2-1 defeat to hosts Morocco.
- Thursday’s play in will be staged at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.
- Eleven teams in total will compete in the intercontinental play offs for the final three spots at the 2027 World Cup.
- The intercontinental play offs are scheduled to take place in November and December 2026.
- Nigeria’s quarterfinal defeat to Cameroon came via a Maeva Nyadjou free kick in the 20th minute.
- Nigeria, not South Africa, arrived at WAFCON 2026 as the defending champions, having won the 2024 title in Morocco.
