{"id":857740,"date":"2025-06-24T17:11:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T22:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/24\/nigerias-super-falcons-on-alert-as-south-africa-announce-bold-squad-for-wafcon-title-defence\/"},"modified":"2025-06-24T17:11:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T22:11:57","slug":"nigerias-super-falcons-on-alert-as-south-africa-announce-bold-squad-for-wafcon-title-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/24\/nigerias-super-falcons-on-alert-as-south-africa-announce-bold-squad-for-wafcon-title-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons on alert as South Africa announce bold squad for WAFCON title defence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons will be keeping a watchful eye on fierce rivals <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Banyana+\">South Africa<\/a> after the defending champions named a refreshed, youthful squad for next month\u2019s 2024 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set to kick off in Morocco, <a href=\"https:\/\/Soccernet.ng\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>South Africa coach Dr Desiree Ellis has <a href=\"https:\/\/supersport.com\/football\/africa-womens-cup-of-nations\/news\/f02b064c-029b-45e4-81e0-2baa7e9934f1\/banyana-banyana-squad-officially-announced-as-title-defence-journey-begins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unveiled<\/a> her 23-player roster with hints of a generational shift from the side that edged Nigeria en route to claiming their maiden <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=WAFCON\">WAFCON<\/a> crown in 2022. With several new names and first-time call-ups, the Banyana Banyana are signalling both evolution and ambition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_149492\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-149492\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/imago1043569131-750x497.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons vs South Africa Bayana Bayana\" width=\"750\" height=\"497\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-149492\">Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons vs South Africa Bayana Bayana. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In a significant development, star forward Thembi Kgatlana misses out due to injury. Her absence is a blow to the South Africans, but there\u2019s no mistaking their intent \u2014 nine players from their 2022 title-winning squad have been dropped, including goalkeeper Casey Gordon and forward Nthabiseng Majiya, who have been placed on standby.<\/p>\n<p>The South Africans will open their Group C campaign against <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Ghana\">Ghana<\/a> on 7 July, followed by clashes with Tanzania (11 July) and Mali (14 July), before hoping to contest the final in Rabat on 26 July.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_149489\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-149489\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/02\/imago1043325154-750x497.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria Super Falcons vs South Africa Bayana Bayana\" width=\"750\" height=\"497\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-149489\">Nigeria Super Falcons vs South Africa Bayana Bayana. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>READ MORE<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/03\/fifa-nigeria-super-falcons-south-africa.html\">FIFA ranking: Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons hold firm as Africa\u2019s best; South Africa\u2019s Banyana Banyana fall<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2024\/12\/south-africa-nigeria-end-2024-with-defeats-as-banyana-banyana-prepare-to-defend-wafcon-crown.html\">South Africa, Nigeria end 2024 with defeats as Banyana Banyana stumble ahead of WAFCON defence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2024\/04\/south-africa-0-0-nigeria-super-falcons-hold-on-against-toothless-banyana-banyana-to-seal-first-olympic-ticket-in-16-years.html\">South Africa 0-0 Nigeria: Super Falcons hold on against toothless Banyana Banyana to seal first Olympic ticket in 16 years<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From a Nigerian perspective, Ellis\u2019 overhaul comes with a mixed bag of intrigue and caution. The <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/?s=Falcons\">Super Falcons<\/a>, winners of nine of the last 12 WAFCON tournaments, are hungry for a record-extending 10th crown.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_163602\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-163602\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GshzchIWsAAy7uF-750x500.jpeg\" alt=\"Soccer Nigeria Super Falcons\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\"  ><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-163602\">Nigeria Super Falcons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their <a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/06\/portugal-nigeria-super-falcons-wafcon.html\">goalless draw against Portugal<\/a> in Lisbon on Monday showed their readiness to reclaim continental dominance.<\/p>\n<p>Yet South Africa\u2019s recent form cannot be ignored \u2014 the Banyana Banyana are on a six-match winning streak, including a 2-0 victory over fellow WAFCON contenders Zambia earlier this month, a response to their COSAFA Cup final defeat in November 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Both Nigeria and South Africa made history at the 2023 Women\u2019s World Cup, reaching the knockout stages. The inevitable clash between the two African giants looms large and it promises fireworks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Soccer Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\" src=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0327-copy-150x150.jpg\"  height=\"80\" width=\"80\">\t\t<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/author\/imhonlamhen-eronmhonsele\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n<p>From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/2025\/06\/nigerias-super-falcons-south-africa.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soccer Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons will be keeping a watchful eye on fierce rivals South Africa after the defending champions named a refreshed, youthful squad for next month\u2019s 2024 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set to kick off in Morocco, Soccernet.ng reports. South Africa coach Dr Desiree Ellis has unveiled her 23-player roster with hints [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":857741,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21970,2005,4578],"tags":[86607,6323],"class_list":{"0":"post-857740","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nigerias","8":"category-soccer","9":"category-super","10":"tag-nigerias","11":"tag-super"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}