Quick Predictions
Match: South Africa vs Ivory Coast, WAFCON 2026 Group B
Venue: Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco
Prediction: South Africa 1-1 Ivory Coast
Top tip: Both teams to score (1.90)
Key stat: Ivory Coast scored four goals in their opening WAFCON match after a 12-year absence from the tournament
South Africa face Ivory Coast on Friday in a Group B match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations that carries significant consequences for both teams.
Banyana Banyana were stunned 2-1 by Tanzania in their opening fixture and sit third in the group with zero points, while the Lady Elephants are joint-top alongside Tanzania on three points following a dominant 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso.
Defeat for South Africa would almost certainly end their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds, and with this tournament also serving as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, the stakes could hardly be higher for Desiree Ellis’ side.
South Africa vs Ivory Coast form and preview
South Africa arrived in Morocco as the 2022 WAFCON champions and one of the pre-tournament favourites, but their campaign could not have started worse.
Banyana dominated possession and created numerous chances against Tanzania, with Thembi Kgatlana, Hildah Magaia and Sinoxolo Cesane all failing to convert clear opportunities before the Twiga Stars took the lead through Diana Msewa in the 37th minute.
Banyana Banyana of South Africa vs Tanzania, Image: SAFA Bambanani Mbane equalised just before half time, but Hasnath Ubamba scored a late winner to inflict what amounts to a historic defeat on the South Africans.
Ellis’ side have now won three and lost three of their last six matches across all competitions, a run that includes a 1-0 friendly victory over Japan in June, during which Linda Motlhalo scored the winner.
The issue against Tanzania was not about creating chances but finishing them, and that profligacy will need to be addressed urgently.
Ivory Coast, meanwhile, could not have asked for a better return to the WAFCON stage.
The Lady Elephants had not appeared at the tournament since 2014, when they finished third, and their path to Morocco was unusual, having originally lost to Senegal on penalties in the final qualifying round before benefiting from CAF’s expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.
None of that background mattered once the whistle blew against Burkina Faso.
Rebecca Elloh opened the scoring from the penalty spot after just seven minutes, before Ines Konan struck twice in a nine-minute spell to put the game beyond doubt before half time.
Nsira Ouedraogo added a fourth after the break, and although Burkina Faso pulled one back through Adama Congo, Reynald Pedros’ side never looked in danger of surrendering their lead.
That attacking display was no surprise to those who had tracked the team’s build-up, given Ivory Coast won nine of their ten matches heading into the tournament and scored 15 goals in a qualifying rout of Turks and Caicos Islands earlier in 2026.
Head-to-head: South Africa vs Ivory Coast
There is almost no competitive history between these two sides in women’s football.
Their only previous recorded meeting came at the 2014 WAFCON, where South Africa won 2-1 in a match that was played over a decade ago.
Banyana Banyana lost to Tanzania in their WAFCON 2026 opener. Image: SAFA That solitary result offers little in the way of meaningful context for this encounter, given the complete turnover of playing personnel and coaching staff on both sides in the intervening years.
What matters far more is the form both teams have shown in Morocco over the past week.
Team news: South Africa vs Ivory Coast
South Africa
Ellis named an attacking line-up against Tanzania, with Kgatlana leading the line alongside Magaia in a system that also featured Motlhalo behind the front two and Cesane in midfield.
Robyn Moodaly-Salgado started her first match in Banyana colours since 2023 and may keep her place given the limited time between fixtures.
Motlhalo reached her 100th cap during the Tanzania match, becoming the 13th South African player to reach the milestone, and will be integral to any creative improvements Banyana need to produce.
Image – CAF Media Captain Refiloe Jane, who has 151 caps to her name, provides crucial experience in midfield alongside the likes of Bongeka Gamede in defence.
Ellis may consider bringing in Noxolo Cesane or Isabella Ludwig for additional energy in midfield, or handing 16-year-old forward Zoe October, the youngest player in the squad, an appearance from the bench.
No injuries have been reported within the Banyana camp.
Predicted South Africa XI (4-3-3): Dlamini; Ramalepe, Dhlamini, Mbane, Gamede; Moodaly-Salgado, Jane, Motlhalo; Cesane, Kgatlana, Magaia
Ivory Coast
Pedros will be tempted to name an unchanged starting XI after such a convincing opening performance, though the red card shown to Mariam Diakite during the Burkina Faso match means the defender is suspended for this fixture.
Konan, named the TotalEnergies Woman of the Match after her brace against Burkina Faso, is certain to start after establishing herself as the team’s most dangerous attacking threat.
Rosemonde Kouassi, who plays her club football at Washington Spirit in the NWSL, provided an assist in the opening match and her quality in wide areas will be important against a more organised South African defence.
Captain Bernadette Amani Kakounan brings leadership and composure in midfield, while Nsira Ouedraogo’s ability to contribute both goals and assists makes her a genuine all-round threat.
Only three players in the 26-woman Ivorian squad have previous WAFCON experience, but the confidence generated by the Burkina Faso result should offset that lack of tournament pedigree.
Predicted Ivory Coast XI (4-3-3): Aramatou; Aboa Kachi, Anastasie, Amon Rebecca, Kakounan; Ouedraogo N, Kouassi, Diallo; Konan, Habibou Ouedraogo, Elloh
Star Player Showdown
Thembi Kgatlana
South Africa – Forward
Former African Women’s Player of the Year
Ines Konan
Ivory Coast – Forward
RC Strasbourg striker
Kgatlana’s experience and pedigree against Konan’s explosive tournament form presents the marquee individual battle of this fixture.
Kgatlana is a former African Women’s Player of the Year whose return to the Banyana squad for this tournament was one of the most anticipated selections in South African football.
She created the most chances of any South African player against Tanzania, though none of her efforts found the net.
Konan arrives in blistering form after being named Player of the Match following her two-goal performance against Burkina Faso, where her movement and clinical finishing made her the standout performer of the opening round.
The Strasbourg forward’s ability to find space between the lines will test a South African defence that looked vulnerable on the counter against Tanzania.
The managers: South Africa vs Ivory Coast
Desiree Ellis has been at the helm of Banyana Banyana since 2018 and remains the most successful coach in the history of the South African women’s programme.
She guided the team to their maiden WAFCON title in 2022 and led them to two FIFA Women’s World Cup appearances in 2019 and 2023.
The defeat to Tanzania was a setback, but Ellis has the tournament experience and composure to refocus her squad for what is effectively a must-win match.
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis. Photo: Imago Reynald Pedros took charge of Ivory Coast in January 2025 and brings a vastly different profile to the role.
The Frenchman is a two-time UEFA Women’s Champions League winner, having led Olympique Lyonnais to back-to-back European titles in 2018 and 2019.
He also managed the Morocco women’s team from November 2020, guiding the Atlas Lionesses to their first WAFCON final in 2022 and securing qualification for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Pedros’ familiarity with the WAFCON environment and with playing in Morocco specifically gives him a tactical advantage that should not be overlooked.
Tactical preview: South Africa vs Ivory Coast
Ellis used a 4-3-3 formation against Tanzania, built around Kgatlana’s central threat and Motlhalo’s creativity from a deeper position.
The system produced plenty of chances but was exposed on the counter-attack, particularly through the central channel where Msewa drove at the heart of the South African defence to open the scoring.
Expect Ellis to reinforce the midfield screen for this match, possibly asking Jane and Moodaly-Salgado to sit deeper to close off the space Ivory Coast’s runners will target.
Pedros set up in what appeared to be a 4-3-3 against Burkina Faso, with pace on the flanks and Konan operating as a mobile centre-forward capable of dropping into pockets of space.
The width of Ivory Coast’s attacks caused Burkina Faso constant problems, and the combination of Kouassi’s creativity and Ouedraogo’s direct running from the right could pose similar questions to South Africa’s full-backs.
Defensively, the Lady Elephants did concede in the second half against Burkina Faso, and the suspension of Diakite means Pedros will be forced into at least one change in his back line.
South Africa’s aerial presence at set pieces, demonstrated by Mbane’s equaliser against Tanzania, gives them a viable route to goal even if they struggle to break down Ivory Coast’s defence in open play.
Betting Tips: South Africa vs Ivory Coast
Top Tip
1.90
Both teams to score
South Africa created over ten chances against Tanzania despite losing, while Ivory Coast scored four in their opener. Banyana’s set-piece prowess and Konan’s clinical finishing mean goals at both ends look highly likely.
Value Bet
3.25
Draw
South Africa’s desperation for points will push them forward, but Ivory Coast’s defensive organisation under Pedros and the confidence from their opening win makes them hard to beat. A draw at 3.25 reflects value given the balance of the two sides’ strengths.
Long Shot
5.00
Ines Konan to score anytime
Konan scored twice against Burkina Faso and was named Player of the Match. She will face a South African defence that conceded twice from open play against Tanzania, offering opportunities for a forward in this kind of form.
Free Choice
1.72
Under 3.5 total goals
Despite both teams showing attacking intent in their openers, the higher stakes in this fixture will produce a more cautious tactical approach. South Africa cannot afford to leave space, and Ivory Coast will not need to press with their group position already strong.
Betting tips are for informational purposes only. Please gamble responsibly. 18+.
Our South Africa vs Ivory Coast prediction
South Africa’s tournament pedigree and the pressure of needing a result should bring an improved performance compared to the Tanzania defeat.
Ellis’ squad contains far more international experience than any other team in Group B, and the creative quality of Motlhalo, Kgatlana and Magaia should produce more chances in front of goal.
Ivory Coast, however, are no longer a team to be underestimated.
Pedros has instilled genuine tactical structure, and the attacking confidence flowing from the Burkina Faso rout, combined with Konan’s individual quality, means the Lady Elephants will carry a real threat on the counter.
A tight, tense match looks the most likely outcome, with South Africa committing more bodies forward while Ivory Coast remain dangerous on the break.
Score Prediction
South Africa vs Ivory Coast
1 – 1
• South Africa have the creative quality to score but lacked composure in front of goal against Tanzania, suggesting a lower-scoring affair.• Ivory Coast scored four against Burkina Faso and have enough individual quality in attack to trouble a South African defence that conceded twice in their opener.• The tactical caution that comes with a match of this significance should limit the overall number of goals.• Likely scorers: Thembi Kgatlana or Bambanani Mbane for South Africa; Ines Konan for Ivory Coast.
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