Sasol Banyana Banyana match alert

Sasol Banyana Banyana went into Friday’s second Algeria friendly in Durban with King Zwelithini Stadium confirmed as the venue and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations preparation as the immediate aim. (safa.net) The South African Football Association announced on 25 March that South Africa would host Algeria on Tuesday 14 April and Friday 17 April in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, after first saying the exact venues would be confirmed later. (safa.net) By this week, ticketing listed the 17 April match at King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi, with doors opening at 12:00 p.m., adult tickets priced at 30 rand, and free entry for children under 12. (ticketpro.co.za) Coach Desiree Ellis named a 24-player squad for the Algeria camp, and the association said four players — Sibulele Holweni, Bongeka Gamede, Thembi Kgatlana and Jessica Wade — were unavailable for medical reasons. (safa.net) The Algeria series was scheduled after the Confederation of African Football moved the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to 25 July through 16 August 2026, extending Ellis’s buildup window by several months. (safa.net) South Africa already knows its tournament path: the defending 2022 champions are in Group B with Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, while Algeria is in Group A with Morocco, Senegal and Kenya. (safa.net) The first friendly in the two-match set was played on 14 April, and the South African Football Association’s news archive lists it as a South Africa win over Algeria. (safa.net) The Durban camp also carried individual milestones. A South African Football Association post on 13 April said defender Bambanani Mbane was in line for her 100th cap and Karabo Dhlamini for her 50th in the Algeria friendlies. (safa.net) King Zwelithini Stadium has long been part of women’s football in Durban: the association noted in 2019 that Banyana Banyana’s previous match there was a 3-0 Olympic qualifier win over Tunisia in 2011. (safa.net) Friday’s game, then, was more than a venue update. It was the second live test in a four-month run-up to Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with Ellis using a home fixture in Umlazi to sharpen a squad already locked into July’s tournament field. (safa.net)