After a gruelling round of group stage matches which kicked off with the opening Group A match pitting hosts Morocco against Zambia on Saturday, July 5th at Olympic Stadium in Rabat, the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will resume after a five-day shatter with quarter-final matches lined up from Friday, July 18th in Morocco.
Eight teams qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament, led by defending champions South Africa, hosts Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, and Mali.
In Group A, Morocco topped the pile with seven points to qualify alongside Zambia, while in Group B, it was record champions Nigeria, who took the top spot with seven points pursued by Algeria, who garnered five.
Meanwhile, Banyana, who are defending the title they won during the 2022 edition, completed top of Group C with seven points to qualify alongside Ghana’s Black Queens, who managed four points.
WAFCON quarters set for FridayAfter the group stage, the tournament will now move into the knockout phase, starting Friday - with a coveted place in the semi-finals at stake.
The first fixture of the quarters will pit Nigeria against Zambia at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca.
The fixture is set to hand over the best players in women’s football, with Nigeria set to parade the likes of Asisat Oshoala, while the dynamic duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji will lead the Copper Queens.
Heading into the fixture, Zambia players led by captain Banda have promised to beat Nigeria insisting they don’t dread them.
Looking ahead to the quarter-final against the Super Falcons, Banda remained calm and concentrated.
“We now know we are facing Nigeria, and for us, it’s just over being ready mentally, physically and tactically.
We respect them, but we don’t dread anyone.
We know what we are capable of as a team,” Banda, who plays for National Women's Soccer League club Orlando Pride, told FAZ Media.
“It’s not a new feeling.
We have confronted them before and came out with a positive result.
That gives us belief, but we also know this is a new game and a new challenge.
We need to show up with the same discipline, energy and concentrate we possessed against DR Congo and even more.
”Zambia vs DR Congo in group stageZambia FA MediaCopper Queens winger Racheal Nachula said: “My teammates and I are very happy because we managed to come second in our group stage and of which our group I think it was very tough.
Three teams from our group have qualified to the quarter-finals and that shows that our group was very tough and strong.
“As Copper Queens, we know that Nigeria is one of the best teams in Africa and I think Copper Queens also we are also one of the best teams in Africa.
We can conquer each and every team and we are not scared of any team, like we cannot be scared of Nigeria.
”For Kudananji, who has won two woman of the match awards already, the team is prepared for whichever opponent comes next, with the mindset firmly locked on the tournament’s ultimate prize.
“We wanted first place, but unfortunately, we didn’t score more goals.
That said, we don’t care which position we are in now, our eyes are still on the same thing,” she said.
Zambia started off with a 2-2 sketch against Morocco, recovered to beat Senegal 3-2 before edging out DR Congo.
For Nigeria, they beat Tunisia 3-0 in the opener, beat Botswana 1-0 before drawing 0-0 against Algeria.
The other game, set for Friday, will see Morocco confront Mali at Stade Olympique in Rabat.
Led by their iconic captain Ghizlane Chebbak, the Atlas Lionesses will be aiming to rise to the occasion on home soil.
South Africa to confront SenegalAfrican champions South Africa will confront Senegal in the last eight seeking to keep alive their hopes of retaining the WAFCON title.
However, they will come up against Senegal, who progressed as one of the best third-placed teams.
Banyana coach Dr Desiree Ellis has admitted they will not locate it easy against the Senegalese side in the fixture scheduled for Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco, on Tuesday, July 19th.
“We have a couple of days to have a good look at them, but they’ve shown in a very difficult group that they can battle it out with the best and we have to be at our absolute best to obtain a result because again it’s not going to be easy,” Ellis told SAFA Media after their final 4-0 win against Mali.
“I don’t think any game has been easy at this WAFCON, it shows that teams on the continent are improving – every FIFA International window there are countries playing.
”South Africa vs MaliSAFA MediaEllis added: “This WAFCON is not just a one-sided tournament where you can predict an outcome.
The games are so tight and it’s one moment of magic or one moment of madness or even a mistake by someone and then that’s it.
“This shows how tight the games are, so we have to be on top of our game against Senegal.
They showed against Zambia and Morocco where they possessed very tight games but tonight was a statement and showed what we can do, and we’ve obtained to do even better.
”In the final quarters match set for Tuesday, July 19th at Berkane Stadium in Berkane, Algeria, who have appeared as one of the surprise packages of the tournament will confront Ghana, one of the heavyweights of African women’s football.
The Black Queens struggled to reach this stage, managing one win from the three group matches, but according to coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren they will continue to take it a game at a time in the tournament.
"I always trusted that we would win this game and make it to the quarter-finals.
I understand the impact of the result.
It is the knockout stages, and we continue to take it one game at a time,” said Bjorkegren after the 4-1 win against Tanzania, which allowed them to qualify for the last eight.
Historically, Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament since it became full-scale in 1998, winning nine of the 12 editions so far and making it to at least the semi-final in every tournament they have played.
Equatorial Guinea won as hosts of the 2008 and 2012 editions and South Africa are the current champions having won the latest 2022 edition to become the third African nation to ever win the tournament.
Morocco, Ghana, and Cameroon are the only nations outside of the previous winners to have also made it to the tournament’s final.
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