.svg.png){kind=logo}
Bafana Bafana of South Africa legend Brian Baloyi has called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to end the arrangement of qualifying for the World Cup merely by reaching the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semi-finals.
After failing to find top gear, leading to their exit in the quarter-finals of WAFCON 2026, Banyana Banyana kept their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification hopes alive by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in a play-in match. They will be accompanied by Ghana in the 10-team play-offs at the end of the year.
However, Baloyi, who was part of South Africa’s squad to the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, 1998 AFCON, 1998 World Cup and Sydney 2000 Olympics, believes the practice of qualifying via the WAFCON semi-finals should end.
“It is about time that CAF revisited this thing of qualifying for the World Cup by reaching the semi-finals of WAFCON. I know that as we were growing up, it is something we got used to, even in junior tournaments,” said Baloyi in an exclusive interview with IOL Sport.
Also Read: Super Falcons Star Deactivates Instagram Account After WAFCON 2026, W’Cup Failure
“When you do it in junior tournaments it’s understandable, but I think it is about time that CAF changed it for the ladies. That is another thing — women are not playing enough matches. It would do them a lot of good to have qualifiers strictly for the World Cup.
“Qualifying via WAFCON means they are playing two tournaments in one. That makes it so stressful for them (the players), because here you are trying to win this tournament, but in your head, you are thinking about qualifying for the next and biggest tournament.”
Banyana’s win against Nigeria’s Super Falcons means for the first time the 10-time WAFCON winners will miss the women’s World Cup, since debuting at the inaugural edition in China in 1991.
