Banyana Banyana duo of Sibulele Holweni and Amogelang Motau have stressed the importance of forgetting that SA are Wafcon’s defending champions, implying that mentality would help them retain the continental championship.
The 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morocco, the same venue as the last edition in 2022, on Saturday.
Banyana, however, will open their title defence account on Monday (6pm SA time), against Ghana at Honneur Stadium in the city of Oujda.
Banyana, whose 2022 title is their only honour in international football so far, will seek to avoid being the second nation after Equatorial Guinea (winners in 2008 and 2012) to fail to defend the Wafcon crown.
“Our mindset is the same as in 2022. We understand that we’ve come here as contenders, just like all the teams. Winning the previous Wafcon doesn’t mean we will be champions once again, so it’s crucial for us to just forget that we are the champions and start afresh like all the teams,” Holweni said.