AWCON
The 2022 WAFCON Final by the numbers 
It’s time for the massive 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final between hosts Morocco and South Africa’s Banyana Banyana at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex. Before tonight’s big game CAF Online looked at the WAFCON final by the numbers.
0 – The 2018 final is the only edition to end 0-0 and be decided on penalties. Nigeria won a 9th title, defeating South Africa on spot kicks.
1 – Victory for South Africa handed them their first WAFCON title.
2 – Morocco’s loss means that host nations have lost in the final thrice previously, South Africa in 2000 and Cameroon in 2016, both to Nigeria. Victory for either nation will see them become the second country along with Nigeria to have their men’s and women’s teams crowned continental champions. Morocco were AFCON winners in 1976 and South Africa in 1996.
3 – The winner will become the third nation to win the WAFCON title, after Equatorial Guinea who have two titles and Nigeria with 9. They will also be the first new winner of the tournament since Equatorial Guinea in 2008.
4 – South Africa have won four games at the current tournament by a single goal, they have won their last three games 1-0. They only won a game in Morocco by a greater margin against Burundi 3-1 in the group stages.
5 – South Africa are participating in their fifth WAFCON final. They have now reached a final in Central, West, North and Southern Africa and are the first team to reach WAFCON finals in four hemispheres of the continent. It is the first time they have reached back-to-back finals.
6 – Victory for Morocco will see the host nation win the WAFCON title for the 6th time. Nigeria in 1998, 2002 and 2006 as well as Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012 have won on home soil previously.
7 – This is South Africa’s 7th meeting with a WAFCON host. They have lost all of their previous six encounters against the hosts. Morocco are the fourth host nation they will face along with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria. It is their third meeting in a final with a host. They lost to Equatorial Guinea in 2008 and 2012.
8– This will be the 8th time that the hosts have reached the final along with Cameroon (2016), Equatorial Guinea (2008 & 2012), Nigeria (1998, 2002 & 2006) and South Africa (2000).
9 – Nigeria are the most successful country in the competition, winning the title on 9 occasions, the joint most continental titles in Women’s Football along with China (AFC) and the USA (CONCACAF).
10 – Should the winning nation manage to keep a clean-sheet it will be the 10th time in WAFCON final history that the winners’ defence has not been breached. Only twice before in 2008 (EQG 2 RSA 1) and 2010 (NGA 4 EQG 2) have both teams scored in the final.
100 – The percentage of wins that Nigeria have in the final of the WAFCON, winning all 9 of the Championship games they have played in WAFCON finals.
Democratic Republic of Congo side, TP Mazembe are officially the champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League Morocco 2024.
A highly tactical and hard fought 1-0 victory in the final played in El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi against former champions and hosts, AS FAR saw the DR Congo side crowned the new champions of Africa for the first time – wiping away tears of their 2022 group stage exit.
With the crowd backing the hosts, Mazembe showed great resilience and courage in taking the match to the former champions who remain in search for what has been an elusive second title for them.
The deciding goal of the fourth edition of the tournament came courtesy of a converted spot kick by Marlene Kasaj in the opening 10 minutes, which Mazembe protected throughout the match to seal the historic victory.
Despite the early concession, AS FAR kept believing and surged forward in search of the leveller, but a resolute Mazembe defense kept the clean sheet throughout the opening half.
Coming back from the break, it was surprisingly Mazembe who looked more dangerous as they came out strong in an attempt to kill off the game.
The hosts eventually found their rhythm but again were met by a disciplined Mazembe defense, who kept the former champions at bay to secure Africa’s most sought-after women’s club football crown.
In addition to the coveted CAF Women’s Champions League trophy, TP Mazembe also take home $600 000 in prize money, while runners-up AS FAR take home $400 000.
-CAF
BY JOSEPH ODOEKWU
The National Chairman of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) Samuel Ikpea has tipped the Super Falcons of Nigeria to claim their 10th African Women’s Cup of Nations title in Morocco when they begin their campaign next year.
Ikpea’ remarks came after the Friday night draw that put Algeria, Tunisia and Botswana in the same group with the Super Falcons.
“Our girls are going to play in a group with two North African countries (Tunisia and Algeria). “It is going to be interesting, and I am optimistic that our girls will scale from our group”.
Nigeria will tackle two North African teams – Tunisia and Algeria – as well as Botswana, in Group B of the 13th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals taking place in Morocco next summer.
The Falcons will surely relish another meeting with Algeria’s Green Ladies, whom they defeated 2-0 and 4-1 respectively in two friendly matches in Nigeria last month.
Botswana eliminated Gabon in the qualifying series and Tunisia were the quarter-finalists at the last edition also hosted by Morocco.
At the draw conducted on Friday evening at the Technical Centre of the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Sale, outside Rabat, host nation Morocco, earlier slotted into Group A, learnt they will have to cope with Zambia, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cup holders South Africa are in Group C and will square up to Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in the three-week, 12-nation final tournament taking place 5th – 26th July 2025.
Hosts Morocco finished as runners-up in the last edition in July 2022, with Zambia taking the bronze after a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria in the third-place match.
GROUP A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, DR Congo
GROUP B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana
GROUP C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania
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