RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

BANYANA BANYANA COACH DESIREE ELLIS HEADS TO HER SECOND WOMEN'S WORLD CUP IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND THIS MONTH AND TALKS EXCLUSIVELY TO MARK GLEESON JUST BEFORE THE TEAM'S DEPARTURE

What are Africa's chances of some sort of Women's World Cup shock in the way Morocco shook up Qatar?

I think Morocco has shown that it is possible. The other African countries that were in Qatar didn't do that well, but we're going to a second World Cup, you have Nigeria that have been ever present and we have Morocco, who have done fantastically with a women's programme. Zambia always surprises; you look at what they did at the Olympic Games, even though they didn't get through to the next round. But they surprised a few. And I think football is now not about the rankings anymore. It's about what happens on the field. Our team, for example, is four years older, much more mature; we have a couple of players playing in good clubs in Europe, and we are coming off the Wafcon (Women's Africa Cup of Nations) victory. There's a little bit more pressure now after doing well at Wafcon. But I think it's possible to get out of the group stage, because you've got to have a little bit of ambition. We can't be naive, though the groups are tough. But I think Morocco showed, when they were not given a chance in their group in Qatar, that it's possible. They not only went through, but almost won the World Cup. So you have to make sure that you are in peak physical condition and that everybody executes the plans. If you can get a positive result in your first game, then you plan further. I don't think we must undermine ourselves as a continent, because we have tremendous talent. We must just make sure that everything leading up to that works out properly. I think there could be a few surprises, not just with the teams from Africa, but elsewhere too. Already, there were many upsets during the qualifiers and particularly the playoffs.

There has always been a gap between the established powers of women's football and the rest, but how big is that now ... or has it even closed?