The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2022 is due to start on 2 July 2022, exactly 30 days from today, with the opening match between hosts Morocco and debutants Burkina Faso. LadiesMarch has outlined 30 things you need to know ahead of the continental showpiece.
- It will be the 12th edition of the Confederation of African Football’s flagship women’s competition since the officially recognised first edition in 1998.
- For the first time in the history of the competition 12 teams will be participating.
- The tournament will run from 2-23 July.
- The matches will be played in three stadiums across two cities: Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex (Rabat), Mohammed V Stadium (Casablanca) and Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium (Rabat).
- Morocco are hosting the tournament for the first time.
- It is also the first time that it will be staged in North Africa.
- Four teams will be making their debut WAFCON appearance; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi and Togo
- Three teams will be making their 12th appearance; Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon.
- Hosts Morocco and Zambia will be making their third appearance after 1998, 2000 and 2014, 2018 respectively.
- While Uganda, Tunisia and Senegal will be making their second appearance after 2000, 2008 and 2012 respectively .
- Nigeria, the most successful team in the history of the tournament with nine titles, are the defending champions.
- The Super Falcons and the runners-up of the last edition, South Africa will meet in the group stage for a second edition in a row.
- The Nigeria/South Africa rivalry is one of the most prominent ties in Women’s AFCON history as both sides have so far met 10 times since 1998.
- Group A comprises hosts Morocco, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Uganda.
- Cameroon, Zambia, Tunisia and Togo will slug it out in Group B.
- Familiar foes Nigeria and South Africa are in Group C alongside Burundi and Botswana.
- While Nigeria will be looking to clinch the title for a record-extending 10th time, every other team will be eyeing a first-ever Nations Cup title.
- The Banyana Banyana of South Africa and the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon have been runners-up four times and three times respectively, since 1998.
- Among the eight teams that have been to atleast one previous Women’s AFCON, only Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon have advanced beyond the group stage before.
- The four semi-finalists at the tournament will automatically qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup to be staged in Australia and New Zealand.
- Two other sides will enter a 10-team intercontinental play-off which will determine the final three World Cup spots.
- Hence the fixtures for Morocco 2022 includes two matches that will involve the four losing quarterfinalists battling for the intercontinental play-off slots on 17 July, a day before the semifinals.
- Only six African teams have ever participated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup: Nigeria – 8; Ghana – 3; Cameroon – 2; Equatorial Guinea – 1; Cote d’Ivoire – 1; South Africa – 1.
- Nigeria holds the record for the highest number of goals scored in just one edition of the tournament (28). This was achieved in 1998.
- The Super Falcons won the 1998 tournament without conceding a goal. Equatorial Guinea achieved the same feat in 2012.
- With 11 goals in 2010, the legendary Perpetua Nkwocha holds the record for the highest number of goals scored by a player in a single tournament.
- Out of the 12 head coaches heading to Morocco this summer, three are women; Desiree Ellis of South Africa, Gaoletlhoo Nkutlwisang of Botswana and Kaï Tomety of Togo.
- According to the schedule released by CAF, the group stage will run from 2 -10 July
- Hosts Morocco and debutants Burkina Faso will face off in the opening match on 2 July. Both sides have met once before in a friendly match on 10 July, 2017 – Morocco 1-1 Burkina Faso.
- A reminder of the top three teams at the last Women’s AFCON in Ghana in 2018: Winners – Nigeria; Runners-up – South Africa; Third-place – Cameroon. The trio qualified for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France.