South Africa booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after Thembi Kgatlana scored the decisive goal in a hard fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Tuesday.
The one time African champions secured the win in Casablanca thanks to Kgatlana’s second goal of the tournament, while goalkeeper Kaylin Swart produced a series of important saves to preserve Banyana Banyana’s narrow advantage under relentless second half pressure.
South Africa entered the final Group B match knowing only a victory would keep their WAFCON hopes alive. They also needed Ivory Coast to defeat Tanzania in the group’s other fixture, and both results ultimately went their way.
Kgatlana gave South Africa the breakthrough in the 21st minute after Burkina Faso defender Madinatou Rouamba failed to deal with a dangerous cross from Fikile Magama. The loose ball fell kindly for the experienced forward, who calmly tapped past goalkeeper Nina Dabilgou to hand Banyana Banyana a priceless lead.
Burkina Faso responded strongly after the break and thought they had a golden opportunity to level the score just two minutes into the second half when the referee awarded a penalty. However, the decision was overturned following a VAR review, allowing South Africa to keep their slender advantage.
The West Africans continued to press for an equaliser throughout the second half. They dominated possession and launched wave after wave of attacks, but poor finishing, a lack of composure in front of goal and an inspired performance from Swart kept them at bay.
South Africa defended with determination as the pressure intensified, holding firm until the final whistle to secure the victory they desperately needed.
At the same time, Ivory Coast defeated Tanzania 2-1 to finish top of Group B. N’Sira Ouedraogo opened the scoring just before half-time with a powerful strike from inside the penalty area before Ines Konan doubled the lead from the penalty spot midway through the second half.
Tanzania pulled one back deep into stoppage time when Diana Msewa converted a penalty, but it proved too late to change the outcome.
Ivory Coast finished the group with seven points, while South Africa claimed second place with four. Burkina Faso and Tanzania both ended the campaign on three points and exited the tournament.
South Africa will now travel to Rabat for a quarter-final clash against tournament hosts Morocco on Saturday, while Ivory Coast remain in Casablanca to face Group A runners-up Algeria.
The stakes remain high as the quarter-final winners will not only move closer to the record two million dollar WAFCON prize money but also secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
