Banyana Banyana, South Africa’s women’s football team, pulled off a massive feat this past weekend by winning their first ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title. On Saturday 23 July 2022, the mighty African champions of women’s football charged to a 2-1 victory over the host nation, Morocco. SweepSouth could not be more proud to be a South African company operating throughout the beautiful African continent.
With a trophy in hand and a buzz of pride in the air, let’s learn a bit more about the triumphant team that has stamped their names in the history books and left their mark in the world.
Why ‘Banyana Banyana’?
Like so many other sports teams around the world, the South African women’s football team was given the nickname Banyana Banyana. What does it mean, you may ask? Translated directly, it means Girls Girls. It was derived from the men’s national team, nicknamed Bafana Bafana.
First Match
Although their most recent match may be the most memorable match that Banyana has ever played, it all had to start somewhere. The team played their first official match on 30 May 1993. Their opponents at the time were Swaziland, who they managed to defeat by a staggering margin of 14 – 0.
First World Cup And Olympic Games
The team qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to make it out of the group stages where they faced the tough opponents of China, Germany, and Spain. Banyana Banyana’s first Summer Olympic games appearance happened in 2012. They managed to pull off a hard-fought 10th place finish.
Biggest Win
You may think that the dominant Banyana had their biggest ever winning margin during the game against Swaziland, but now. Their biggest win came against the team of Comoros in 2019. The match ended in a dominant victory of 17 – 0 for the South Africans.
Most Caps And Top Scorer
Janine van Wyk is the name that stands above all else for the number of caps held by one of Banyana’s players. Janine, who also holds the title of team captain, has walked on the field wearing the South African football badge a total of 170 times. The team’s top goal scorer of all time is Portia Modise. The goal scoring machine managed to net 101 goals in 124 matches, spanning a spectacular career. She announced her well-deserved retirement in 2015.
Previous WAFCON Tournaments
As mentioned above, this past weekend is the first time that Banyana has been victorious at the WAFCON and reached the end as champions. Silverware in previous tournaments came in the form of runners-up medals in 1995, 2000, 2008, 2012, and 2018. They also managed third place finishes in 2006 and 2010.
SweepSouth would like to congratulate Desiree Ellis and her team of African champions. The rest of the country is raising your names in victorious cheers and immense pride.
