Banyana Banyana of South Africa coach Desiree Ellis has raised the ante ahead of Thursday’s epic 2027 World Cup qualification play-off versus Nigeria, as she declared that her players will be mentally and physically ready for the encounter in Casablanca, Morocco.
Sports247 reports that, while acknowledging that she would have preferred getting an automatic ticket to next year’s Mundial in Brazil, Ellis conceded that she and her players have to make do with the tedious task of scaling through the play-offs.
With that task now close at hand, Ellis added that the players must quickly overcome the pain of defeat they suffered against hosts Morocco in the quarterfinals and concentrate on how to send their eternal rivals, Super Falcons of Nigeria, packing on Thursday.
“We’re not out of it. We didn’t want to go down this route, but it’s been thrown at us. We need to get ready for the next game mentally, get ready for it physically, we need to recover quickly,” Ellis told ESPN ahead of Thursday’s 9 pm kick-off in Casablanca.
Sports247 reports further that, while South Africa were knocked out of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026) with a 2-1 loss to hosts Morocco last Saturday, Nigeria were eliminated the following day after a 1-0 defeat by Cameroon.
Both losers will now meet inside the imposing Moulay Rachid Stadium, heading into which Ellis admitted that her players have to be mentally alert and physically diligent in order to scale through against the ten-time champions, who have never missed a World Cup ticket.
