MATCH STATS: South Africa face Côte d’Ivoire in TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Group B

Former champions South Africa will look to bounce back from defeat in their opening game against Tanzania when they face Côte d’Ivoire in their second TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 Group B fixture at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca on Friday, 31 July. Kick-off is at 18h00 local time (17h00 GMT).

Match Facts

• Côte d’Ivoire won their opening game 4-1 against Burkina Faso, while South Africa suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania.
• This is the second meeting between the teams at WAFCON. Côte d’Ivoire defeated South Africa 1-0 in the third-place play-off at the 2014 tournament, with Ida Guehai scoring the only goal in the 84th minute.
• South Africa have not won their last three matches against West African opponents, recording two draws and one defeat in open play. They defeated Senegal on penalties in the quarterfinals at the last edition, lost to Nigeria in the semifinals and were beaten by Ghana on penalties in the third-place play-off. 
• South Africa are unbeaten in their last seven WAFCON group games against West African teams, recording six wins and one draw.
• During that seven-game unbeaten group-stage run, South Africa defeated Mali 4-0 in both 2010 and 2024, beat Nigeria 1-0 in 2018 and 2-1 in 2022, overcame Senegal 1-0 in 2012 and Ghana 1-0 at the 2024 edition, and drew 1-1 with Ghana in 2014.
• South Africa’s last group-stage defeat against West African opposition was a 2-1 loss to Nigeria in their second group game in 2010.
• This is Côte d’Ivoire’s fourth WAFCON match against Southern African opposition. They defeated Namibia 3-1 and drew 1-1 with Zambia in the group stage in 2014 before beating South Africa 1-0 in the third-place play-off. 
• South Africa’s Bongeka Gamede and Côte d’Ivoire’s N’Sira Safi Ouédraogo are teammates at Danish club FC Nordsjælland. 

South Africa – Key Statistics

• South Africa began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania.
• They lost their opening game at WAFCON for the fifth time.
• It was their first defeat in an opening game since the 2014 finals, when they lost 1-0 to Cameroon.
• Their nine-game unbeaten run in the group stage came to an end with the loss to Tanzania. Their record during that sequence was eight wins and one draw.
• South Africa suffered only their second group-stage defeat under coach Desiree Ellis in what was her 13th group game in charge. Her record in those matches reads eight wins, three draws and two defeats.
• It was their first group-stage loss since they were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon in their second match at the 2016 tournament.
• South Africa have previously failed to win either of their opening two games on four occasions. They lost both group games in 1998 and all three in 2004, while they recorded a defeat and a draw in 2014, and a draw and a defeat in 2016.
• On the four previous occasions when they lost their opening group game, in 1998, 2004, 2012 and 2014, South Africa managed to win their second match only once, in 2012.
• The 2012 tournament remains the only time South Africa failed to win their opening game but then won their second fixture. In 2016, they began with a draw before losing their second match.
• South Africa failed to progress beyond the group stage in 1998 and 2004 after losing their opening games.
• On the last three occasions when they failed to win their opening match, in 2012, 2014 and 2016, South Africa still progressed beyond the group stage.
• In 2012, they lost their opening game 1-0 to Equatorial Guinea before defeating Senegal and DR Congo and progressing to the final, where they finished as runners-up.
• In 2014, South Africa lost their opener 1-0 to Cameroon before drawing with Ghana and defeating Algeria 5-1. They eventually finished fourth.
• In 2016, they began with a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe before losing 1-0 to Cameroon. They then defeated Egypt 5-0 and eventually finished fourth.
• South Africa’s record in their second group game reads: P13 W6 D3 L4.
• They are unbeaten in their second group game at the last three editions, winning in 2018 and 2022 before drawing at the last tournament.
• They have scored in their last 11 WAFCON group matches, having last failed to find the net in their second group game against Cameroon in 2016.
• Linda Motlhalo made her 100th appearance in the defeat to Tanzania, becoming the 13th South African women’s international to reach a century of caps.
• Bambanani Mbane scored South Africa’s goal against Tanzania. Mbane netted her second WAFCON goal, with both coming against Tanzania. She also scored South Africa’s 70th-minute equaliser in a group-stage draw against the Twiga Stars at the 2024 edition.
• South Africa had 24 attempts at goal against Tanzania, compared with 10 for their opponents.
• They registered nine shots on target and faced five.
• Refiloe Jane registered three shots on target against Tanzania, more than any other player.

Côte d’Ivoire – Key Statistics

• Côte d’Ivoire began their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso.
• They are seeking to win their opening two games at WAFCON for the first time.
• This is their third WAFCON appearance and the second time they have won their opening game, having also done so in 2012. Contemporary reports from 2014 describe that tournament as their second appearance. 
• They scored four or more goals in a WAFCON game for the second time, following their 5-0 victory over Ethiopia in 2012. 
• Victory would see Côte d’Ivoire win successive WAFCON matches for the first time.
• They have never previously gone through their opening two games without defeat. In 2012, victory in their opening match was followed by defeat in their second, while in 2014 an opening defeat was followed by a victory.
• Côte d’Ivoire’s record in their second group game reads one win and one defeat. They lost 4-1 to Cameroon in 2012 before defeating Namibia 3-1 in 2014. 
• They have scored in all nine of their WAFCON matches.
• Côte d’Ivoire have conceded in seven of their nine WAFCON games, keeping two clean sheets. They defeated Ethiopia 5-0 in 2012 and South Africa 1-0 in the 2014 third-place play-off. 
• Eight of their nine WAFCON matches have produced a winner. The exception was their 1-1 group-stage draw with Zambia in 2014.
• They have scored in all seven of their WAFCON group games.
• Inès Konan scored twice in the victory over Burkina Faso, becoming only the second Ivorian to score at least two goals in a WAFCON match.
• Inès Nrehy scored a hat-trick against Ethiopia in 2012 and twice in the 3-1 victory over Namibia in 2014. 
• Should any of their three scorers against Burkina Faso find the net, they would become the first Ivorian to score in their country’s opening two games at a WAFCON.
• Côte d’Ivoire led 3-0 at halftime against Burkina Faso, the first time they had held a three-goal advantage at the break in a WAFCON match. They were 2-0 ahead against Ethiopia after 45 minutes of their opening game in 2012.
• N’Sira Safi Ouédraogo scored and provided an assist against Burkina Faso.
• Ouédraogo registered three shots on target in the opening game, more than any other player.
• Côte d’Ivoire had 12 attempts at goal against Burkina Faso and scored four times, giving them a shot-conversion rate of 33%.