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South Africa’s bid to match one of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations’ most revered records came to a halt on Friday night, thanks to a spirited performance by Tanzania, Footynaija.com reports.
Heading into their second Group C fixture, Banyana Banyana were chasing history — aiming to emulate the rare feat of winning the WAFCON title without dropping points or conceding a single goal. Only Nigeria (1998) and Equatorial Guinea (2012) have managed such perfection in the competition’s history.
But that pursuit ended abruptly in Morocco, as Opa Clement’s well-timed first-half header earned Tanzania a surprise 1-1 draw. South Africa salvaged a point through a second-half equaliser from defender Bambanani Mbane, but the damage to their record hopes had been done. It was the first goal conceded by Desiree Ellis’s side in the tournament.
Close contest to the very end. Tanzania and South Africa share the spoils. #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2024 pic.twitter.com/6uctrRCTVC
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) July 11, 2025
With the result, the South Africans can no longer match the clean-sheet title-winning campaigns of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
In 1998, Nigeria hosted and dominated the tournament, winning all matches,including an 8-0 hammering of Morocco and a 6-0 demolition of DR Congo, without letting in a single goal.
Equatorial Guinea repeated the feat in 2012, scoring 18 goals and conceding none en route to the trophy.
South Africa, who claimed their first WAFCON title in 2022 after years of near-misses, were keen to stamp their authority again. While they remain contenders, the dream of a flawless campaign is now over.
Meanwhile, Nigeria and Algeria are the only two teams yet to concede a goal after two group matches in this year’s edition. Nigeria boast a perfect six points, while Algeria have taken four from their opening two fixtures.
Nigeria’s final Group B game sees the Super Falcons face Algeria in a top-of-the-table clash at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday. Both sides will be aiming to preserve their defensive records but for Nigeria, another clean sheet could be a step toward yet another dominant WAFCON title charge.
