Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has named a 23-player squad for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup preliminary play-offs in Morocco.
Denmark-based midfielder Sibulele Holweni has earned her first national team call-up since moving to Europe last month. However, captain Refiloe Jane will miss South Africa’s opening match against Chinese Taipei due to a one-match suspension.
South Africa is among six nations competing in the preliminary round, which gets underway later this month.
Ellis said selecting the squad was challenging, with several players unavailable due to administrative issues, injuries and academic commitments.
“So many players raised their hands, but we had a lot of challenges with players not having passports, players having a passport and it not being valid,” Ellis said.
She explained that players travelling internationally need passports with at least six months’ validity.
“Obviously injuries, and obviously exams. So, it was very difficult. We needed to then select from a different group of players,” she added.
VOC News
Photo: X/ @Banyana_Banyana
