The Fourteenth edition of Women African Nations Cup kicks off on Sunday, the 26th of July in Morocco as Nigeria’s Super Falcons are seeking to win the competition for the eleventh time.
It is the third consecutive time that Morocco will be hosting the competition after the 2022 and 2024 editions.
The Women AFCON, which is now into its 14th edition (tournament format), began as home/away qualification competition in 1991 and same format was used for the 1995 edition, with the Nigerian team (known as Amazons then) winning on both occasions.
In 1998, ahead of the 1999 Women World Cup, the Confederation of African Football, CAF decided to organize the competition, using the tournament format for the first time and Nigeria hosted and won that maiden edition.
The competition takes place every two years and in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006, it was Nigeria that dominated all the way by winning the titles.
However, the line was broken in 2008 when Equatorial Guinea hosted the competition for the first time and then won it, even before the likes of South Africa, Ghana and Cameroon, who had come close in the past editions.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons won the title again in 2010 in South Africa but when the competition returned to Equatorial Guinea in 2012, the Central Africans won again.
After that, Nigeria took over again, winning in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
The WAFCON could not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19 but when it returned in 2022 in Morocco, South Africa won it for the first time.
Nigeria then bounced back in 2024 (competition held on 2025) to win again, with Morocco yet the host.
So far, Nigeria has won the WAFCON ten times, Equatorial Guinea, twice and South Africa, once.
The likes of Ghana and Cameroon are yet to win, and with the emergence of the likes of Morocco and Zambia, things may be more difficult for the women football powerhouses in Africa.
For this year’s edition, 16 teams are taking part for the first time and they have been divided into 4 groups of 4.
A:
Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya.
B:
South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Tanzania.
C:
Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi.
D:
Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde.
Group matches will hold between July 26 and August 6, quarter finals on August 8 and 9, Semi finals on August 12, Third place match is billed for August 15 and the final match on August 16.
This year’s edition of WAFCON is significant as it will produce African teams to next year’s Women World Cup in Brazil.
The four semi finalists will pick automatic tickets while two other teams will go into Inter- Confederations play-off.
