AWCON
Seeded Super Falcons are in Group B of CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will begin the chase for their 10th title in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as seeded team B1. The final draw of the competition will hold on Friday evening at the Technical Centre of Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, Rabat Morocco.
It will start at 8 pm local time, the same as in Nigeria but at 19h00 GMT. Nigeria along with hosts, Morocco and defending champions, South Africa are the top seeds. The trio will therefore not meet at the group stage.
Morocco will go in as Team A1 while defending champions South Africa will take position C1.
The remaining nine teams are seeded based on their FIFA ranking thus creating four levels that ensure a balanced initial distribution of teams for the tournament.
The distribution runs thus:
- Level 1: Morocco (host), Nigeria, South Africa
- Level 2: Zambia, Ghana, Tunisia
- Level 3: Mali, Senegal, Algeria
- Level 4: DR Congo, Tanzania, Botswana
The draw will follow a rigorous methodology to ensure balanced and fair groupings. Three separate pots will be used to allocate teams from Levels 2, 3, and 4 into Groups A, B, and C:
- Pot C (Level 4):
- The first ball drawn will go to Group A, position A4.
- The second ball will go to Group B, position B4.
- The third ball will go to Group C, position C4.
- Pot B (Level 3):
- The first ball drawn will go to Group A, position A3.
- The second ball will go to Group B, position B3.
- The third ball will go to Group C, position C3.
- Pot A (Level 2):
- The first ball drawn will go to Group A, position A2.
- The second ball will go to Group B, position B2.
- The third ball will go to Group C, position C2.
Morocco 2024 is the 13th edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and will run from July 5 to July 26, 2025.
South Africa are the defending champions and they secured their first continental title in Morocco two years ago. Nigeria won nine of the previous 12 editions.
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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