21 October 2026 – Sasol Banyana Banyana will be returning to Rabat in Morocco as they continue their journey to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The South Africans are part of the six nations who will take part in the Play-off Tournament preliminary phase scheduled for to be played from 28 November to 5 December 2026.

Along with the Banyana Banyana, the nine-match mini-event will include Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, Ghana, Papua New Guinea and Uzbekistan. Only the top two nations from the play-off tournament will advance to the final round set to be played in February next year.

South Africa will begin their campaign with a clash against Chinese Taipei on Saturday, 28 November at 14h00 local time in Morocco (16h00 SA Time). Three days later (Tuesday, 1 December), Dr Desiree Ellis’ charges will be back in action, this time facing Ecuador at 21h00 SA Time (19h00 local time), while the final match will take place on Saturday, 5 December at 19h00 SA Time (17h00 local time).

All the fixtures will be played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex.

In the final phase, six teams will then face-off in three single knockout matches. Two of the countries will emerge from the Play-offs, with an additional four joining in this round – one each from UEFA and CONMEBOL, as well as two from CONCACAF.

The last three nations standing after this round will book their tickets to the World Cup in South America.

As matters stand, Cameroon, Malawi, Algeria and Morocco will represent the African continent at the global women’s football showpiece.

Brazil

Australia, China PR, Japan, Korea DPR (North Korea), Korea Republic (South Korea), The Phillipines

Malawi, Cameroon, Algeria, Morocco

• CONMEBOL (South America):

Argentina, Colombia

New Zealand

Denmark, France, Germany, Spain