Thembi Kgatlana


Chrestinah Thembi Kgatlana is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil club Tigres UANL Femenil and the South Africa women's national team.
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Club career

Houston Dash

In February 2018, Kgatlana moved to the United States to join the Houston Dash in the National Women's Soccer League. She was brought in by her former national team coach Vera Pauw. Kgatlana joined her South African teammates Janine van Wyk and Linda Motlhalo in Houston. Kgatlana made 16 appearances with Houston and she scored 2 goals.
Kgatlana was waived by the Houston Dash on 6 February 2019 so she could sign with Beijing BG Phoenix F.C.

Beijing BG Phoenix

On 22 February 2019, Kgatlana was announced as having signed with Beijing BG Phoenix F.C. in the Chinese Women's Super League on a one-year deal. She was joined by South African teammate Linda Motlhalo who also made the move from Houston to China.
Kgatlana scored six league goals in 10 appearances during the 2019 Chinese Women's Super League campaign, helping her Beijing BG Phoenix side to a fifth-place finish.

SL Benfica

On 27 January 2020 she signed with SL Benfica. On 1 February 2020 she made her debut with the club being subbed on in a 3–1 win over Braga in TaΓ§a da Liga Feminina.
Prior to their cancellation owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kgatlana helped Benfica to the final of both Portuguese Cup and Taca da Liga Femenina competitions as well as the top of the league table. The result was enough to qualify the club for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time in their history.

SD Eibar

Kgatlana's spell at Benfica came to an early end owing to complications arising from the COVID-19 crisis, with a salary cap introduced across Portuguese women's football. On 21 July 2020, it was announced that she had joined newly promoted Spanish Primera DivisiΓ³n side SD Eibar on a one-year contract. Kgatlana made her debut on 4 October 2020 in a 1–0 victory over Real Betis, before opening her goalscoring account the following week in a 2–2 draw against Levante.
On 31 October 2020, Kgatlana scored her second goal for the club on her first start in a 1–0 victory over Espanyol, however she was forced off with the game still in the first half due to a minor injury. Upon her return from injury, she immediately returned to goalscoring form with a stunning strike in a 3–1 defeat to Real Madrid having once again entered from the substitutes bench.

Racing Louisville

NWSL club Racing Louisville paid a transfer fee to obtain Kgatlana on 6 July 2022. She signed a two-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season. However, she missed the 2022 season after tearing her Achilles tendon against Botswana in the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. She debuted for Racing on 6 May against Orlando Pride, her first match since tearing her Achilles tendon in 2022. On 12 May, joining the match as an 81st-minute substitute, she assisted on Racing's third goal of the match.

Tigres UANL

On 20 December 2023, Racing Louisville FC agreed to transfer Kgatlana to Tigres UANL for the second largest transfer fee in league history of $275,000. She scored in the 2025 Apertura final as part of Tigres' comeback in the second half of the first leg against Club America. Tigres went on to win the title after winning the second leg, giving Kgatlana her first league championship with the club.

International career

Kgatlana represented her country at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Africa Women Cup of Nations, where she won the Player of the Tournament and was the highest goal scorer. She also represented South Africa at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, where she scored her country's first goal ever in the tournament. On 2 August 2023, she scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Italy in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup last group stage match, to be her country's first ever win in the competition which led to their qualification to the knockout phase.

International goals

Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
110 November 2016Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe1–03–0Friendly
210 November 2016Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe2–03–0Friendly
314 September 2017Luveve Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe3–03–02017 COSAFA Women's Championship
415 September 2017Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe1–03–12017 COSAFA Women's Championship
515 September 2017Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe3–13–12017 COSAFA Women's Championship
624 September 2017Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe1–02–12017 COSAFA Women's Championship
72 March 2018Tasos Markos Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus1–01–02018 Cyprus Cup
810 October 2018Estadio Santa Laura, Santiago, Chile2–12–2Friendly
1018 November 2018Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana1–01–02018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
1121 November 2018Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana4–17–12018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
1221 November 2018Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana5–17–12018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
1324 November 2018Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana1–01–12018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
1427 November 2018Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast, Ghana1–02–02018 Africa Women Cup of Nations
1519 January 2019Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa1–21–2Friendly
1619 January 2019GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus2–22–22019 Cyprus Women's Cup
178 June 2019Stade OcΓ©ane, Le Havre, France1–01–32019 FIFA Women's World Cup
1810 April 2021Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa2–03–0Friendly
1913 April 2021Bidvest Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa1–02–0Friendly
2013 April 2021Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria2–03–0Aisha Buhari Cup
2118 February 2022Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa2–02–02022 Africa Women Cup of Nations qualification
2212 April 2022ADO Den Haag Stadium, The Hague, Netherlands1–11–5Friendly
2328 July 2023Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, New Zealand2–02–22023 FIFA Women's World Cup
242 August 2023Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand3–23–22023 FIFA Women's World Cup
2525 October 2023Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa, DR Congo1–11–12024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
2630 October 2023Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa1–02–02024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
2730 October 2023Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa2–02–02024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
2823 February 2024Chamazi Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania2–03–02024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
2927 February 2024Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela, South Africa1–01–02024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
3029 October 2024Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, United Kingdom1–21–2Friendly
3128 October 2025Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa1–01–02026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Personal life

On 5 December 2023, Kgatlana proposed to long-time girlfriend Abongile Dlani.

Honours

Benfica
UANL Tigres
International
Individual