Former Bafana Bafana star Thabo Mngomeni has outlined what he believes is Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis' biggest challenge going into the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal against Morocco.
South Africa have progressed to the last eight of WAFCON 2026 after finishing second in their group.
The secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Burkina Faso women courtesy of a Thembi Kgatlana strike.
Banyana will now face hosts Morocco on Saturday.
Most importantly, the four teams that will secure a semi-finals berth will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in Brazil.
"What I like about our national team is that we no longer have fear. We are used to playing international football," says Mngomeni, speaking to KickOff.
"The experience we have should be our motivation factor to progress to the semi-finals.
“Desiree's biggest challenge now is how she is going to keep the minds of the players focused only on the game against Morocco, and not think too much about going to Brazil.
"We all know Morocco rely on the support from their crowd. But I trust Desiree; she will keep Banyana calm.
“It's the Morocco match that needs to be dealt with first," he adds.