Banyana Banyana target their fifth title on the trot

THE darlings of South African football - Banyana Banyana will return to local action after defeating the giants of African women's football Nigeria in their own backyard just over a week ago.

Banyana Banyana will run out in Nelson Mandela Bay today against Malawi to mark the start of the 2021 Cosafa Women's Championship. The team will be chasing an unprecedented fifth title in a row. The tournament ends on October 9.

Banyana Banyana are one of 12 teams taking part and will campaign in Group A along with Malawi, Angola and

Mozambique. There are three groups of four teams each and the winners will advance to the semi-finals, where they will be joined by the best-placed runner-up, who will play the Group A winner.

Most of the overseas-based players, with the exception of Janine van Wyk, who helped Bafana Bafana helped defeat Nigeria - will not be available for selection.

As always, the Cosafa tournament has given national team coach Desiree Ellis a chance to blood new talents.

“(Today) is a new focus, it is the Cosafa Women's Championship," said Ellis, adding that regional tournament has done much to help her groom players for international football.

"We will take the lessons we have learnt in Nigeria, to help grow that (new) group again. We showed at last year's Cosafa that the players that have come through needed to be tested.

“I was very excited for the players that we have coming through to play Cosafa."

After the match against Malawi, Banyana Banyana tackle Angola on Friday. They play their final group match on Monday against Mozambique.

They will also play Mozambique in the first-round qualifiers for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, next month.

In today's other Group A match, Angola will play Mozambique.