Hosts Morocco topped group A after beating Senegal and DRC before finalizing group assignments with a 2-2 draw against Zambia.
Oliver Ochieng
The 15th edition of the Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 has entered the crucial quarterfinal stage in Morocco, with mouthwatering clashes anticipated starting Friday 18 July.
8 teams out of 12 made it to the last eight of the delayed tournament, after mesmerizing group matches that witnessed dozens of goals being scored. DRC, Tanzania, Tunisia and Botswana are out of the competition.
Hosts Morocco topped group A after beating Senegal and DRC before finalizing group assignments with a 2-2 draw against Zambia.
And with wins against DRC and Senegal respectively, Zambia finished second with the identical 7 points but with an inferior goal difference, while Senegal’s 4-0 thumping of DRC was enough to make them sail through to the quarterfinals as one of the two third best placed sides.
Record champions Nigeria topped group B with 7 points, two ahead of Algeria, while defending champions South Africa cruised in group C with 7 points, ahead of Ghana and Mali who both booked quarter final berths.
No team, not even the ‘mighty’ Nigeria or South Africa registered a 100% record in the group phase, an indication of how competitive African women’s football is becoming.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria, nine-time champions, will take on Zambia at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca on Friday in the first quarter final clash.
According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Nigeria heads into the match boasting a solid defense, “with both confidence and caution aware of the threat posed by a formidable Zambian side.”
Led by the dynamic duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, the Copper Queens are known for their attacking firepower.
The encounter serves as a rematch of the 2022 third-place playoff, where Zambia edged Nigeria 1–0.
Morocco will then play Mali, another of the two third best placed teams, in the second quarterfinal of the day. Whereas the Atlas Lionesses are seeking to reach the final on home soil, Mali will be out to dent those hopes.
Algeria will play Ghana, before South Africa face Senegal in the final quarterfinal clashes on Saturday, with a match up between South Africa and Nigeria on the cards.
Ghana’s Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren said he was delighted to see his team progress having failed to reach the knockout stage the last time they participated in the tourney as hosts, in 2018.
“Ghana missed the knockout stages the last time that they played in 2018 at home and we have now made it past the group stages. The result is very important to us. We shall take it all in now because the players deserve this. They showed that they can stay true to our style and win,” he said.
On 4 July, CAF increased the prize money of the winner of the WAFCON Morocco 2024 by 100%, and the total Prize Money of the competition by 45% which means there is a lot at stake to play for ahead of the 26 July final.
Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak and Senegalese Nguenar Ndiaye head into the quarters as top scorers with 4 goals apiece.
