Head coach of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, says she is looking for an improved performance from her charges when they take on their counterparts from Zambia in the final fixture of the Three Nations Tournament.
The three match event – involving South Africa, Zambia and Botswana – comes to an end on Tuesday (3 June 2025) with the much-anticipated clash between the two COSAFA giants.
With each of the three sides playing a total of two games, the African Champions opened their encounter with a narrow and nail-biting 3-2 victory over Botswana, while the Copper Queens could only manage a 1-1 draw against the same Mares of Botswana.
Ellis says the Zambia match, to be played at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville near Pretoria at 3pm, will offer a different challenge compared to the previous fixture in the tournament.
“This will really test us, not discounting the Botswana game because when you play different opponents you plan differently, and we know they are going to bring in a lot of things that we need to be better at. And they are going to challenge us in a different way that Botswana challenged us,” Ellis told SAFA.net.
“We need to be better defensively. The two goals we gave away (against Botswana), we could have handled those situations better and when you look at things like those, we are looking for improved performance in all areas – better on the ball, better organised, creating more chances, putting more chances on target. But the test (against Zambia) will be a different test altogether.”
The Three Nations is a tournament that is used by the trio to prepare for the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in July in Morocco.
Ellis recently announced a squad of 46 players which will be trimmed down to 21 later this month – and the currently competition with Zambia and Botswana will somehow help with finalizing that team that will travel to Morocco.
South Africa has been drawn in Group C alongside Ghana, Mali and Tanzania at the WAFCON, Zambia is in Group A with hosts Morocco, Senegal and DR Congo, while Botswana finds themselves in Group B with nine-time champions Nigeria as well as two North Africans Tunisia and Algeria.
The WAFCON takes place between 5-26 July.
By Matlhomola Morake
