The South African national women’s team finally ended decades of near misses as they won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, beating their hosts in the final, and in the process booking themselves a trip to next year’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Banyana Banyana edged hosts Morocco 2-1 in the decider in Rabat in July and will now participate in a second succussive Women’s World Cup.
They were at the last finals in France in 2019 and are now headed Down Under where they will be based in New Zealand and take on Argentina, Italy and Sweden in July next year.
South Africa had been runners-up at five previous African championships but in Morocco won all six games including beating long-time nemesis Nigeria 2-1 in their opening clash.
Hilda Magaia, whose brace in the final secured the WAFCON, finished as joint top scorer at the 2022 edition with three goals.
Andile Dlamini was named Goalkeeper of the Year while South Africa won the National Team of the Year and the Fair Play Team award at the Confederation of African Football gala in Morocco at the same time as the final. Desire Ellis was again Coach of the Year.
Banyana, without many regulars, did however lose to Zambia in the Women’s Cosafa Cup tournament in Gqeberha in September.
The men’s national team had two months earlier competed in the Cosafa Cup in Durban where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Mozambique in a disappointing return.
The full Bafana Bafana side started the year with friendly matches in Europe, drawing 0-0 with Guinea in Belgium and then losing 5-0 to the world champions France in Lille, where Kylian Mbappe scored twice.
In June, Bafana began their bid to qualify for the next Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, having missed out on the last tournament in Cameroon. Hugo Broos’ side took an early lead away against Morocco in Rabat, but ended up losing 2-1 after giving away the winner three minutes from time.
Two more group games against Liberia did not take place when all the Cup of Nations qualifiers in September were postponed to allow the World Cup-bound countries better preparations and will now be held in March, while Zimbabwe have been kicked out of the group after being suspended by Fifa.
It means South Africa must finish in the top two, out of three teams, in the group in order to qualify for the finals in the Ivory Coast, which have been moved to January 2024.
At under-23 level, South Africa have begun qualifiers for the next Olympics in Paris, narrowly edging Togo on the away goals rule in October.
The team, coached by David Notoane, are next set to play Congo in March for a place in the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco in June.
At under-20 level, the next World Cup is in Indonesia but South Africa are already out of the running after finishing third at the Cosafa U-20 Championship in Eswatini in October, behind Mozambique and Zambia who have qualified for the African Youth Championship.
But South Africa are in the mix at under-17 level after Duncan Crowie’s side finished second at this month’s Cosafa tournament in Malawi. They now go onto the African under-17 Championship in Algeria in April and, if successful there, will go onto the U-17 World Cup in Peru next November.
There were no matches at women’s under-20 level this year but at under-17 level South Africa were bundled out by Ethiopia in April in the third round of qualifying for the U-17 Women’s World Cup, which was held in India in October.