Lebogang Ramalepe: WAFCON opener a must win

The South African national team will face Tanzania on 17 March when the tournament kicks off in Morocco.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Ramalepe says the team is expecting a tough match but look forward to putting on a good fight to make sure that they walk away with the

crucial three-points.

“Collecting three points in the first game will definitely set the tone in group stages. So we are going to give our all to make sure we sit well in the group. Yes it won’t come easy - so as a team we must be willing to fight until the last minute,” said Ramalepe.

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The WAFCON 2026 will also serve as a FIFA World Cup qualifier - with the world showpiece taking place next year in Brazil. Ramalepe says they will have to dig deep and make sure that they secure their ticket to South America.

“The mandate for us is to qualify for the World Cup, and yes it is not going to be easy

for us coming back from a break to continental football but as players we have to dig

deep and do our best to secure a spot in the 2027 FIFA World Cup,” added Ramalepe.

The 34-year-old defender shares her expectations regarding Group B, where they are also pitted against physical teams such as Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

“ Tough one for us, but I think when you look at the teams we are drawn against with the likes of Ivory Coast, they were not there in the last edition so they will give us a tough time but we just need to take it one game at a time. We know that getting out of the group stages for us will push us a step closer to our dream. We don’t undermine or underestimate any team in our group but we have set our own goals."