WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Morocco 2024 WAFCON field now complete
Most of the heavyweights make the final cut as all the 12 teams for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations have now emerged.
The biggest absentees are Equatorial Guinea sides who ranked next in terms of titles. They were winners in 2008 and 2012.
Multiple champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria lead a loaded field comprising of reigning champions, South Africa, Morocco (Hosts) Algeria, Botswana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tunisia and Zambia. The others are three-time finalists, Ghana and one-time bronze medallists DR Congo
Nine-time champions Nigeria and hosts Morocco lead an exciting field packed with leading continental heavyweights.
Joining them are reigning title holders South Africa, three-time finalists Ghana who return after a six-year absence, North African powers Algeria and Tunisia alongside Mali.
DR Congo whose last participation dates back to 2012 joins the party while Senegal, giant-killers Zambia, Tanzania and Botswana complete the list of confirmed qualifiers at the Morocco 2024 finals.
Two-time winners Equatorial Guinea were the major casualties alongside four-time finalists Cameroon in the qualifying stages concluded ended on Tuesday.
With all 12 berths now sealed, anticipation turns towards the draw at a date and venue to be announced later.
The final match of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) between Morocco and South Africa set a new record for attendance, with 50,000 fans in attendance. The match was broadcast live in over 45 territories, with coverage available on CAFTV and CAFOnline.com. The upcoming edition of the tournament, which will be hosted by the previous host nation, promises to be an exciting event, with ambitious teams and renowned players set to compete.
Road to the qualifiers
South Africa return seeking to emulate their successful title defence in 2022 which showcased improving pan-African depth.
Banyana Banyana displayed resilience as Linda Mothlalo and Nicole Michael secured a 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso in a gripping return leg at Pretoria’s Lucas Moripe Stadium on Monday.
Algeria secured a 1-0 win over Burundi, sealing their return to the competition after missing out in 2022. Ines Boutaleb’s 17th-minute goal secured their two-legged victory.
The 1998 Bronze medallists DR Congo secured their place with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Botswana earned qualification by defeating Kenya 1-0 at the Botswana National Stadium, advancing 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Nigeria and Zambia qualified with big aggregate score lines to complete the line-up of 12 teams to play at the competition to be held next year.
After landing the hosting rights, Morocco now hope to seize their maiden WAFCON title at the fifth attempt next July and boost women’s football.
The Iranian women’s soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.
Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players failed to sing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Iranian state television had labelled them “wartime traitors”.
The team, which flew into Istanbul on Tuesday, took a flight to Igdir in eastern Turkey on Wednesday morning.
The players emerged from Igdir Airport, pulling their luggage and chatted in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. One of them briefly smiled and waved at a TV camera before the bus departed. After a trip of around two hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing over into Iran.
A bus carrying members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team arrives at the Gurbulak Border Gate, a crossing point between Turkey and Iran, as they travel to their home country after five players withdrew the asylum claims they had lodged in Australia over safety concerns about returning due to not singing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month, in the eastern Agri province, Turkey, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Ali Ihsan Ozturk
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began just as the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament more than a week ago.
Five of those who had sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on Monday.
They rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had been staying since leaving Sydney last week.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) said last week that those who had changed their minds would travel home with the rest of the team “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
Two players are still in Australia and have been pictured training with a local A-League club.
-Reuters
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The two players from the Iranian women’s soccer squad who chose to remain in Australia after seeking asylum have been pictured training with a local A-League club as they begin their new lives in the country.
Midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh were among seven members of Iran’s delegation granted humanitarian visas amid fears of possible persecution if they returned home after competing in the women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Concerns over their safety emerged after the players failed to sing their national anthem before their opening match on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland. Iranian state media labelled them as “wartime traitors”, with the team’s campaign beginning as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran.
Five members of the group, however, subsequently changed their minds about Australia’s asylum offer and decided to return home.
Queensland-based A-League club Brisbane Roar announced on social media the remaining two players, Pasandideh and Ramezanizadeh, had joined a training session with its women’s team on Monday.
“Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh to the club’s training facilities…and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” CEO Kaz Patafta said.
Photos posted by the club showed the two players meeting the Brisbane Roar squad and taking part in shooting drills.
“Thank you for everything,” wrote Ramezanizadeh, 33, under the post on Instagram.
Pasandideh, 21, also posted on her Instagram story on Monday a photo with FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis in Brisbane with a caption saying “everything will be fine”.
While the pair began their new lives in Australia, their former teammates made their way home to Iran from Malaysia.
The team was seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday evening, checking in on an Oman Air flight, although their destination was unclear.
-Reuters
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Three Iranian women soccer players to return home after seeking asylum in Australia
Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, Australia’s government said on Sunday.
Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian footballers last week after they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned home after they failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Four of the seven members have decided to leave Australia so far. Another member changed her mind last week.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) named the players as Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkehkar.
“After arriving in Malaysia and joining the rest of Iran’s women’s national football team, the three players will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be embraced by their families and homeland,” FFIRI added in a statement.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.
-Reuters
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