Banyana Banyana looks set to renew their rivalry with defending champions Super Falcons of Nigeria when the two sides lock horns in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) Group C opener on Monday.

Banyana and the Super Falcons have been pitted together in Group C alongside the likes of Burundi and Botswana.

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The South African Women’s national team will attempt to bring the cup back to SA after five failed attempts, while Nigeria are looking to clinch their 10th Wafcon title.

When the two sides last met in September 2021, Banyana managed to secure the inaugural Aisha Buhari Cup trophy following a commanding 4-2 victory over the Super Falcons.

Ahead of their clash at the Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Banyana coach Desiree Ellis stressed the importance of claiming a positive result in their opening match.

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“The first game of the tournament is always the biggest game and this makes it even better because it’s against defending champions Nigeria and because it is Nigeria, the game is bigger than what it is supposed to be,” Ellis told Safa.

“We want to start well and we know it is going to be a tough encounter. They are not champions for nothing.

“They have been consistent over the years and that is one area that we need to improve on – to be consistent in our performances and be classified amongst the best. It’s all about the three points at the moment and getting the tournament off to a good start.”

Banyana Banyana goalkeeper and co-captain Andile Dlamini expressed the same sentiments.

“As players we are extremely excited about our match tomorrow, it won’t be easy but we are confident our technical team has done enough homework and its now up to us to do our best in the field of play,” said Dlamini.