South Africa discovered its group stage opponents for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as the draw was conducted in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday.
The tournament is set to take place in the North African nation for the third straight edition, and the draw was completed while the men’s AFCON wraps up in Morocco.
The hosts are with Algeria, Senegal and Kenya in group A.
Banyana Banyana were drawn from pot one as one of the top-four ranked sides going into the tournament, and were placed in group B with Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Tanzania.
Reigning champions Nigeria will face Zambia, Egypt – who are returning to the tournament after a 10-year absence – and Malawi in group C.
Group D comprises Ghana, Cameroon, Mali and debutants Cape Verde.
Banyana will be happy to be headed back to Morocco having claimed their first and only title there in 2022 before finishing fourth in the last edition.
Both Nigeria and Morocco present tough opposition for Banyana, while Ghana also tripped them up at the last edition.
The ladies in green and gold will be looking to improve on a disappointing performance last year which saw them fall short of the podium. They will have extra motivation as the tournament’s semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the tournament, with two additional play-off spots available.
