WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire eliminated from WAFCON 2024 qualifying series
Cameroon, four-time finalists of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, will not play in next year’s tournament in Morocco after being eliminated by Kenya on Tuesday.
Cote d’Ivorie will also not be among the nations to play the tournament after they were also eliminated in the first round of qualifiers following the second leg matches.
The Indomitable Lionesses lost on penalties to Kenya while Cote d’Ivoire suffered a similar fate in their match against Tanzania.
Kenya 1-0 Cameroon (agg 1-1) Kenya win 4-3 on penalties
Goal: Shilwatso 75th
The WAFCON dream is over for the Indomitable Lionesses. Winner 1-0 in the first leg, Cameroon fell twice against Kenya. First in regulation time with Shilwatso’s goal, aided by an error from the Cameroonian goalkeeper, and then losing 4-3 in the fateful penalty shootout. For the first time since 1991, the Indomitable Lionesses will not participate in the final phase of the WAFCON.
Ethiopia 1-1 Burundi (agg 2-2) Burundi wins 5-3 on penalties
Goals: R. Asresahegn 19th / S. Niyonkuru 48th
The adventure continues for Burundi. After conceding the opening goal, the Swallows went looking for qualification for the next round with guts. More realistic and experienced, Gustave Niyonkuru’s players were more focused during the penalty shootout to advance.
Tanzania 2-0 Cote d’Ivoire (agg 2-2) Tanzania wins 5-3 on penalties
Goals: D. Minja 50th, O. Clement 52nd
A real bogeyman in women’s football on the continent, Cote d’Ivoire once again missed the chance to qualify for the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. After winning the first leg 2-0, the Elephantes fell to Tanzania.
Mauritius 0-3 Guinea (agg 11-0)
Goals: A. Camara 6th, M. Camara 33rd,38th
After thrashing the Mauritians 8-0 in the first leg, the Guineans finished the job with a 3-0 win in Port Louis.
Botswana 6-0 Gabon (agg 10-1)
Goals: L. Radiakanyo 6th, O. Gaonyadiwe 10th 30th, N. Baeletsi 40th, K. Dithebe 45+4, L. Gaofetoge 50th
After a 4-1 win in Franceville, Botswana won again against Gabon. A victory that allows the Zebras to face Kenya in the second round of qualifying.
Niger 1-5 Tunisia (agg 12-1)
Goals: A. Hamed 90th / S. Ellouzi 9th 49th, S. Mamay 15th, M. Houij 45+1, S. Zemzem 77th
Quarter-finalists of the last WAFCON, Tunisia continue on the road to Morocco 2024. The Carthage Eagles Ladies easily beat Niger.
Ghana 5-0 Rwanda (agg 12-0)
Goals: A. Kusi 22nd 26th 37th, E. Badu 42nd, S. Nyamekye 90+3
Another thrashing by the Black Queens. The Ghanaians left no chance for the Rwandans, after beating them 7-0 at home in the first leg.
Liberia 2-3 Cape Verde (agg 6-2)
Goals: P. Agbotsu 12th, H. Kpan 69th / E. Pereira 10th, A. Gomes 23rd, Kleydiana Borges 39th
The islanders narrowly avoided elimination but will be in the draw. In a fierce and intense match, Cape Verde beat Liberia 2-3. Trailing by 3 goals, the Liberians looked for an early breakthrough but left gaps for their opponents. Facing a faulty defence, Evy Pereira found the net. Agbotsu made up for this setback and leveled the match.Cape Verde improved their attacking moves with Gomes and Borges sending the West Africans into orbit. Kpan’s late goal did not change the fate of this game.
Benin 1-2 DR Congo (agg 4-2)
Goals: Y. Gnanmi 5th / M. Kanjinga 32nd 34th
The Democratic Republic of Congo advanced thanks to Merveille Kanjinga. With a saving brace, the Congolese player booked her team’s ticket to the second round.
Togo 6-0 Djibouti (agg 12-0)
Goals: S. Woedikou 4th 15th 40th, S. Koudjoukalo 31st 89th, Lucie Gantim 66th
In two games, Togo scored 13 goals against Djibouti without conceding. A well-deserved qualification for the Hawks ladies.
In other matches, Congo beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0 at the same time, Namibia defeated Gambia by the same score. These two winning teams will progress to the second round.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso also qualified for the next stage of the competition by beating Eswatini 3-0, as did Egypt who beat South Sudan 4-0. Draw between Algeria and Uganda 1-1.
The second round matches
- Mali-Guinea
- Senegal-Egypt
- Kenya-Botswana
- Nigeria-Cape Verde
- Angola-Zambia
- Ghana-Namibia
- Burkina Faso-South Africa
- Congo-Tunisia
- Tanzania-Togo
- Equatorial Guinea-DR Congo
- Algeria-Burundi
-cafonline
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Flamingos Set for Morocco 2025 as Nigeria’s U-17s Depart Abuja for Final World Cup Preparations
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will depart Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, as they begin the final leg of preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Morocco.
The team will travel aboard Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca, Morocco’s industrial and economic hub, where they will set up camp ahead of the tournament.
During their stay in Casablanca, the Flamingos will step up their build-up programme with two high-profile international friendlies — first against New Zealand on October 10, and then Paraguay on October 14.
Following their training camp, the team will move into the official FIFA hotel in Rabat on October 15, joining other participating nations as the countdown begins to the global showpiece.
Drawn in Group D, Nigeria will face Canada, France, and Samoa in what promises to be a competitive group. The Flamingos will begin their campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before locking horns with France three days later.
Both matches will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Sale, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Nigerian time. Their final group match comes against Samoa on October 25, starting at 5 p.m., also in Sale.
Head Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side heads into the tournament brimming with confidence after a remarkable build-up.
The Flamingos have played 10 tune-up games, scoring an impressive 44 goals without conceding any, a record that highlights their attacking prowess and defensive discipline.
Olowookere has expressed optimism about his team’s readiness, noting that the squad’s balance and form give them belief they can surpass their quarter-final finish at the last edition in the Dominican Republic.
With a perfect preparation run and growing momentum, the Flamingos will be aiming to make history in Morocco and bring pride to Nigerian women’s football once again.
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Nigeria’s U17 Women’s National Team, the Flamingos, are rounding off their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a string of dominant performances that underscore their growing confidence and team chemistry.
In a remarkable build-up campaign, the Flamingos have played eight friendly matches in Abuja, winning all and maintaining a perfect defensive record. The team has scored 26 goals without conceding, a run that has lifted morale and heightened expectations ahead of their World Cup challenge.
Last week, the team showcased their attacking prowess with a convincing 3–0 victory over Abuja All-Stars.
Praise Agba opened the scoring from a loose ball, Olamide Olanrewaju doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Zainab Raji sealed the win with a thunderous strike shortly after the restart. Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu was outstanding between the sticks, producing several key saves to preserve another clean sheet.
Earlier, the Flamingos overcame a rain-disrupted clash against Josiah Academy, running out 2–0 winners courtesy of a Chisom Nwachukwu brace within the opening 10 minutes before the downpour forced an early end to proceedings.
The girls also recorded emphatic wins over Nazareth Angels (5–0), with Queen Joseph bagging a brace and goals from Praise Agba, Mariam Yahaya, and Chisom Nwachukwu; and Horvel Prime (5–0), where Joseph netted a first-half hat-trick, while captain Shakirat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan added one apiece.
Across all their tune-up matches, the Flamingos have demonstrated an impressive balance — clinical in attack, disciplined in midfield, and solid at the back — as they fine-tune for global competition.
Drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, Nigeria will depart for Morocco on October 8, aiming to carry their perfect form into the tournament, which runs from October 17 to November 8.
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Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, continued the country’s dominance over Rwanda on the international football stage by securing a 1–0 victory in Kigali on Sunday in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier.
The narrow win comes against the backdrop of two recent triumphs by the Super Eagles over Rwanda in the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, underlining Nigeria’s growing hold in encounters with the East Africans.
At the Kigali-Pele Stadium in Nyamirambo, both sides battled fiercely in a goalless first half, with chances at a premium. The breakthrough arrived in the 70th minute when Alaba Olabiyi bundled the ball home from a goalmouth scramble after a Falconets corner. The strike proved enough to hand Coach Moses Aduku a winning start in his first competitive game in charge of the team.
With the victory, the Falconets carry a slim but valuable advantage into the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, where they will be backed by home support as they push for a place in the next round of qualifiers.
The team’s delegation is expected back in Nigeria on Monday morning to begin preparations for the decisive clash.
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