AWCON
African teams chase World Cup places at Women’s Cup of Nations finals
World Cup places will be up for grabs at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Morocco on Saturday, with the top four finishers guaranteed a spot at the 2023 finals in Australia and New Zealand.
Africa previously had three places at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, but with the field for the 2023 tournament expanded to 32 teams, there are now four automatic berths for the continent and the chance of two more places via a proposed 10-team playoff tournament.
The four semi-finalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will qualify for the World Cup and there will be playoff matches to determine places five and six, with those two teams taking part in the World Cup qualifying playoff tournament.
The African championship, being hosted in Casablanca and Rabat, and which runs through to July 23, is itself expanded to 12 teams, with Nigeria’s dominant position in the women’s game on the continent under threat.
They have won 11 of the previous 13 African women’s titles and been to all eight previous World Cups, but they will face a stiff challenge from the likes of Cameroon, South Africa and Zambia this year.
Nigeria and South Africa meet in an early group game in Rabat on Monday that could be an indicator as to the outcome of the tournament.
“They are a very strong team, and a very competitive one as well,” said Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala, her side’s most important player.
“But I don’t think the focus must only be on that match. There are other teams to also worry about.”
Nigeria beat South Africa on penalties in the final of the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana in 2018. The 2020 edition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic but South Africa last September beat Nigeria 4-2 away in a friendly in an eye-catching result.
“The first thing we must do is to avoid conceding because we’re always going to create chances,” said South Africa coach Desiree Ellis of their Group C opener on Monday.
“It’s going to be a very tight battle. Last September’s game showed we have quality but we’ve been lacking the consistency and Nigeria have always had that consistency,” she added.
The 12 teams in Morocco are divided into three groups of four. The top two in each group plus two best third-placed finishers advance to the knockout stages.
-Reuters
Democratic Republic of Congo side, TP Mazembe are officially the champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League Morocco 2024.
A highly tactical and hard fought 1-0 victory in the final played in El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi against former champions and hosts, AS FAR saw the DR Congo side crowned the new champions of Africa for the first time – wiping away tears of their 2022 group stage exit.
With the crowd backing the hosts, Mazembe showed great resilience and courage in taking the match to the former champions who remain in search for what has been an elusive second title for them.
The deciding goal of the fourth edition of the tournament came courtesy of a converted spot kick by Marlene Kasaj in the opening 10 minutes, which Mazembe protected throughout the match to seal the historic victory.
Despite the early concession, AS FAR kept believing and surged forward in search of the leveller, but a resolute Mazembe defense kept the clean sheet throughout the opening half.
Coming back from the break, it was surprisingly Mazembe who looked more dangerous as they came out strong in an attempt to kill off the game.
The hosts eventually found their rhythm but again were met by a disciplined Mazembe defense, who kept the former champions at bay to secure Africa’s most sought-after women’s club football crown.
In addition to the coveted CAF Women’s Champions League trophy, TP Mazembe also take home $600 000 in prize money, while runners-up AS FAR take home $400 000.
-CAF
BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
The National Chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) Samuel Ikpea has tipped the Super Falcons of Nigeria to claim their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations title in Morocco when they begin their campaign next year.
Ikpea’ remarks came after the Friday night draw that put Algeria, Tunisia and Botswana in the same group with the Super Falcons.
“Our girls are going to play in a group with two North African countries (Tunisia and Algeria). “It is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic that our girls will scale from our group”.
Nigeria will tackle two North African teams – Tunisia and Algeria – as well as Botswana, in Group B of the 13th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Morocco next summer.
The Falcons will surely relish another meeting with Algeria’s Green Ladies, whom they defeated 2-0 and 4-1 respectively in two friendly matches in Nigeria last month.
Botswana eliminated Gabon in the qualifying series and Tunisia were the quarter-finalists at the last edition also hosted by Morocco.
At the draw conducted on Friday evening at the Technical Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, outside Rabat, host nation Morocco, earlier slotted into Group A, learnt they will have to cope with Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cup holders South Africa are in Group C and will square up to Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in the three-week, 12-nation final tournament taking place 5th – 26th July 2025.
Hosts Morocco finished as runners-up in the last edition in July 2022, with Zambia taking the bronze after a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in the third-place match.
GROUP A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, DR Congo
GROUP B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana
GROUP C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania
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