After having been on standby in the previous Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, University of Fort Hare goalkeeper Kebotsang Moletsane is among the shot-stoppers entrusted by Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis for the tournament in Morocco, starting on Sunday.
She will be making her debut at the continental showpiece and is the only player from an Eastern Cape-based club.
Her selection comes after an impressive Hollywoodbets Super League campaign by Fort Hare last season and in the ongoing edition.
She registered more than eight clean sheets in 2025.
Her dominant defensive campaign later earned her a prestigious nomination for the Hollywoodbets Super League Goalkeeper of the Season award in February.
Ellis is satisfied with her squad.
“We have a nice mixture of youth and experience and that was key in making our selection because while we have immediate goals,” Ellis said.
“We still need to look beyond the tournament and not be found wanting. We are under no illusion that this competition will be tough, but we believe we have a balanced squad and are well prepared for what lies ahead of us.
“The mission is clear. Qualify for the World Cup, and then see how far we go. And that means the focus for now is the opening game against Tanzania, as it will set the tone for the tournament.
“We also depart with the full knowledge of the weight of expectations from all South Africans, and we promise not to disappoint.”
“It is never easy choosing the squad for any tournament, but it is something that has to be done, and unfortunately, we cannot take all the players with us.
“Bringing down the squad to 31 was very difficult, but even more so to come up with the final 26. We are satisfied with the selection we made, and we have complete faith that they will deliver on the mandate,” she said.
Of the players selected, 17 were part of the Wafcon 2024 edition, with some additions coming in for the upcoming version: Moletsane, Isabella Ludwig, Asanda Hadebe, Antonia Maponya, Zoe October, Robyn Moodaly-Salgado, Nthabiseng Majiya and Thembi Kgatlana.
KuGompo City’s Moodaly-Salgado last donned the Banyana Banyana jersey back in 2023, while Ronnel Donnelly was part of the 2024 squad that finished fourth but has been out of team selection in recent times.
Making their tournament debut with Moletsane will be Hadebe, Maponya, Khutso Pila, Ludwig and October, with the latter being the youngest member of the squad at just 18 years old.
The 2022 African champions will be making their 14th appearance at the tournament, and have been drawn in Group B against Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
The 2026 elite continental women’s football showpiece takes on a different meaning as it serves as the 2027 Brazil FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier.
Banyana Banyana open their campaign against Tanzania next Monday in Morocco.
Banyana will be back in action four days later, facing the Ivory Coast, while the final group stage fixture will be against Burkina Faso.
All the group stage matches will be played at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca.