BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

As the countdown continues on the inaugural invitational women’s football tournament, the Aisha Buhari Cup, there are points of interests on the participating teams.

NIGERIA  

• The host team and leading lights in women’s football in Africa became the first African side to play at the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup in China in 1991 after defeating all their opponents home-and-away in the qualifying series.

• For many years, the Super Falcons remained undefeated by any African side. They had a 28 match unbeaten run from their debut match of 16 February 1991 to 10 December 2002.

• Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala and Perpetua Nwokcha are record winners of the African Woman Footballer of the Year Award having each won four times.

• Nigerian women have won the African Woman’s Footballer of the Year Award more that women from other countries. In 17 editions, Nigerian women won 11 times.

• Nigeria’s Super Falcons have won the African Women’s Championships more than any other team. In 13 editions, they won 11 times.

MOROCCO

• Morocco have featured at two editions of the Women African Women Championships .

• Moroccan women drew their first ever international match, 1-1 with South Africa on 5 July 1998.

• Morocco’s biggest defeat, 8-0, was inflicted by Nigeria’s Super Falcons on 17 October 1998 in Kaduna.

SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa’s Banyana Banyana have featured in two Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.

• South Africa won their very first international match, 14-0 against Swaziland (now Eswatini) on 30 May 1993.

• South Africa’s biggest win, 14-0 was against Comoros on 31 July 2019.

• South Africa’s biggest loss was 13-0 to China on 7 September 2003.

GHANA

• Ghana’s women’s national is named Black Queens has qualified for three FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in 1999, 2003 and 2007 as well as reaching the final of the Women AFCON Cup thrice, in 1998, 2002 and 2006.

• Ghana’s Gabrielle Onguene, Galle Enganamouit and Ajara Nchout have three FIFA World Cup goals to their names.

• Ghana’s Black Queens  were the ones that broke the 28-match winning streak of Nigeria’s Super Falcons in Africa when they defeated Nigeria 1-0 in Warri during the 2002 African Women’s Championship in Warri on 10 December 2002.

• Ghana’s first international match was a 5-1 loss to Nigeria on 16 February 1991 in Lagos.

• Ghana’s biggest win was a 13-0 defeat of Guinea in Conakry on 11 July 2004.

• Ghana’s biggest loss was a a 11-0 loss to Germany on 22 July 2016.
  
   CAMEROON

• Cameroon have been runners-up at the African Women Championship four times in 1991, 2004, 2014 and 2016, losing to fierce rivals Nigeria on all occasions.

• Cameroon’s first international match was a 2-0 loss to Nigeria on 15 June 1991.

• Cameroon’s biggest win is a 8-1 defeat of Mozambique on 13 September 2018.
• Cameroon’s biggest loss was a 6-0 loss to Nigeria  on 27 October 1998 in Kaduna and to France 10 October 2018 in Paris.

• Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses beat Ecuador 6-0 at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup to become the first African side to score so many goals in a single match in the history of the global soccer fiesta.
  
  SOUTH AFRICA

• South Africa  won the COSAFA Women’s Champions four times in a row; 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

• Banyana Banyana of South Africa made their AWCON debut in 1995 and are beaten finalists a number of times: 1995, 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018. They also have five players that have played over 100 games for their country.

• Desire Oparanozie from Nigeria and Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa won the Golden Boot at the 2014 and 2018 AWCON finals respectively, with five goals each.
  
  MALI

• Mali’s women’s national played their first international match against Cote d’Ivoire on 9 August 2002. It ended 2-2.

• Mali’s biggest win was a 8-0 defeat of Guinea in Conakry on 23 February 2008.

• Mali’s biggest loss was a 8-0 defeat by Nigeria on 9 April 2015 in Abuja.