The team will travel to Morocco for the preliminary play-off tournament, which runs from 28 November to 5 December 2026, where they will compete for one of two available places in the final qualification phase.
Ellis has retained the core of the squad that recently secured back-to-back victories over Madagascar in the Olympic Games qualifiers in Bloemfontein. One of the notable additions is Denmark-based midfielder Sibulele Holweni, who earns her first national team call-up since making the move to Europe last month.
Explaining the selection process, Ellis acknowledged that several players were unavailable due to examinations, injuries and passport challenges. However, she is confident that the selected group has the right balance to deliver in Morocco.
“There were other players that we were looking at but due to exams, injuries and lack of valid passports, we had to omit them. But we are happy with the selections we have made as they give us a balanced squad that we believe will get the required outcomes in Morocco,” said Ellis.
The South Africans will, however, have to navigate their opening encounter without captain Refiloe Jane, who is suspended for the first match after accumulating two yellow cards during the WAFCON play-off clash against Nigeria in August.
All matches will be played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, with Banyana Banyana opening their campaign against Chinese Taipei on Saturday, 28 November, at 16h00 SA time.
They will then face Ecuador on Tuesday, 1 December, at 21h00 before concluding their preliminary campaign against Uzbekistan on Saturday, 5 December, at 19h00.
Ghana and Papua New Guinea will also participate in the tournament, with only the top two nations advancing to the final qualification round, scheduled for February 2027.
Ellis knows that South Africa will need to make an immediate statement, highlighting the importance of getting their opening fixture right.
“This is not the route we wanted to go, but we are here now. We are all aware that we have to get one of the top two spots, which makes the first match the most important because it sets the tone for the rest of the competition.
“With a positive result we will give ourselves the required momentum as well as a huge boost because the games are going to come thick and fast. We know that in these tournaments there’s not a lot of time in between, hence I emphasise that the opening match will be very crucial. We get that right and we stand a good chance of progressing,” she added.
The final qualification phase will feature six nations competing in single-match knockout fixtures for three remaining places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The two teams progressing from the preliminary play-offs will join four other nations: one from UEFA, one from CONMEBOL and two from CONCACAF.
The three winners will book their tickets to Brazil, bringing them one step closer to football’s biggest stage.
Banyana Banyana will assemble for camp on 18 November before departing for Morocco the following day, with their qualification journey officially set to begin on 28 November.