Motau draws on past lessons but warns of fresh WAFCON challenge for Banyana

Banyana Banyana midfielder Amogelang Motau has urged her teammates to remain focused and fair in their approach to the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), warning that their title defense will be a whole new challenge despite the confidence drawn from their historic 2022 triumph.

South Africa will open their campaign against Ghana at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda on Monday, with kickoff scheduled for 6pm (SA time). They will then go on to face Mali and Tanzania in their two other group matches in an attempt to advance to the next round in defence of their title.

Coach Desiree Ellis and her charges have been hard at work preparing for the tournament, but the North African climate has provided its own hurdles. With the intense Casablanca heat testing the squad’s endurance, acclimatising has become a critical part of their pre-tournament focus.

Motau, who was part of the title-winning Banyana side in 2022 and plays her club football for Club Tijuana in Mexico, has spoken of the team’s determination to focus on the task ahead rather than dwell on past glories.

“The mood is becoming great. We’ve been struggling a little bit with the heat, but I think we’re acclimatising, and everyone is coming into camp. We’re just one player short, but I think we’re getting the hang of it,” Motau said ahead of their tournament opener.

The 2022 WAFCON champions went through the previous edition undefeated, but with a new-look group featuring teams they did not face in their last campaign—or even during their recent build-up matches—Motau believes the defending champions will need to be sharp from the outset.

“That is the mentality the technical team is trying to instill in us. She continued.

“We need to come into this tournament just like we came into the last one. We’re contenders. We take it one game at a time.

“The focus is on ourselves. The analysis team will do the work that’s needed for them to inform us about the game, but other than that, we’re going well.”

Despite the on-field preparations, Banyana’s build-up to WAFCON has not been without off-field drama.

A recent pay dispute with the South African Football Association (SAFA) over unpaid match bonuses from recent friendlies saw the squad protest by halting training for two days. However, Motau says the group is now back in full swing and almost ready for the tournament.

“Our rhythm is getting up. Even today (Tuesday), the session had to be cut a little bit because of the weather, but again, we’re acclimatising, and we’re getting there.”

With several senior players moving on—including the experienced Jermaine Seoposenwe at the end of the tournament—Motau could play a more prominent role this time around. 

The 28-year-old was used sparingly during Banyana’s previous WAFCON run, but she’ll be hoping to step up and play a key part in South Africa’s title defence in Morocco.

The tournament runs from July 5 to 26, and Banyana are determined to hold on to their crown despite the intensified competition and external distractions.