Banyana Banyana star Thembi “Pikinini” Kgatlana has a point to prove at the upcoming Africa Women's Cup of Nations (Awcon) from July 2 to 23 in Morocco.

Kgatlana, who plays for heavyweights Atletico Madrid in Spain, aims to use the Awcon to show she's now a fully fledged soccer star. Banyana are in Group C alongside Nigeria, who beat them in the final of the last edition in Ghana in 2018.

Tournament debutants Botswana and Burundi are also in the same pool. SA's first game is against the same Nigeria on July 4 at Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat (6pm SA time).

“Poster girl or no poster girl, I am Thembi at the end of the day. Without any hesitation, I have my own personal goals and one of those goals is to be a team player. I also want to show how I have grown, playing in Europe. The only pressure I have is that I want to outperform myself,” Kgatlana said.

The 26-year-old netted an impressive five goals at the previous Awcon, scooping the Player of the Tournament gong as well. “I know the expectations are high for myself because of the way I performed in the last edition of this tournament. Going into this one, it brings a lot of excitement and memories for me,” the Banyana star noted. 

Pikinini also made it clear their priority will be to secure a spot at next year's Fifa World Cup, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, then focus on winning the tournament once they've guaranteed themselves a  World Cup spot. The four teams to reach the semis in Morocco will be Africa's representatives in Australia and New Zealand.

“Going into this tournament, there are two things that we want to really achieve as a team. The first goal will be to qualify for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. When we're already in the semifinals it is going to be easier for us to get to the final and try to win the cup,” Pikinini said.