With a purse of $3,475,000, the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off with a historic opening match as hosts Morocco take on Zambia in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides at the continental tournament.

Both nations impressed in the previous edition in 2022, also hosted by Morocco. The Atlas Lionesses reached the final for the first time, eventually finishing runners-up to South Africa, while Zambia’s Copper Queens claimed their first-ever bronze medal after edging Nigeria in the third-place playoff.

This clash brings together two of Africa’s rising forces in women’s football, with Morocco aiming to build on their breakthrough success on home soil, and Zambia seeking to continue their upward trajectory following their strong World Cup qualification and Olympic pedigree.

It will be Morocco’s third encounter with a Southern African opponent at WAFCON. In 2022, they defeated Botswana 2-1 in the quarterfinals before narrowly losing 2-1 to South Africa in the final. For Zambia, this marks their second meeting with a host nation at the tournament, having lost 2-0 to Namibia during the group stage in 2014.

Zambia will also be facing North African opposition for only the second time at WAFCON. Their first such meeting came in 2022, when they defeated Tunisia 1-0 in the group stage—a result that demonstrated their growing tactical maturity on the continental stage.

Morocco will enjoy familiar surroundings once again, playing all their group-stage matches in Rabat as they did in 2022. Their games will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, near the Rabat Olympic Stadium. Zambia, meanwhile, played only once in Rabat during the last tournament—a commanding 4-1 win over Togo at Stade Moulay Hassan—before playing the remainder of their matches in Casablanca.

Adding another intriguing layer to the fixture is the touchline reunion between the two head coaches. Morocco’s Jorge Vilda and Zambia’s Nora Häuptle previously faced off at the 2018 UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship, when Vilda’s Spain defeated Häuptle’s Switzerland 2-0 en route to winning the tournament.

With both teams boasting strong recent records and ambitious goals, this opening match promises to set the tone for an exciting WAFCON 2024.

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Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses begin their quest for Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) glory on home soil with a mouth-watering opening clash against Zambia — a team they famously routed 5-0 at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup under the same coach, Jorge Vilda.

Returning as runners-up from the 2022 edition, Morocco head into this year’s tournament with confidence, momentum, and a determination to go one step further.

That 2022 campaign marked their best-ever finish in the competition, after group-stage exits in their only previous appearances in 1998 and 2000.

The Lionesses’ overall WAFCON record stands at P12 W5 D2 L5, with all five wins coming on home soil during their breakout 2022 run.

Before then, they had won just once in six matches—against Egypt in 1998. But with a new generation of talent and a world champion tactician at the helm, Morocco now stand as genuine title contenders.

Clean sheets have historically been rare for Morocco, with just three in 12 matches, including the narrow 1-0 victories over Burkina Faso and Senegal in 2022.

Defensively improved and tactically sharper under Vilda, the team will be aiming for a disciplined performance against Zambia’s high-flying attack.

Star forward Ghizlane Chebbak remains key to Morocco’s ambitions. She scored in all three group-stage games in 2022, finishing with three goals—the most by a Moroccan at a single WAFCON—and will be looked upon again to deliver in front of a passionate home crowd.

Head coach Jorge Vilda, who famously guided Spain to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup title, brings pedigree, tactical acumen, and valuable big-stage experience.

Notably, he led Spain to a 5-0 group-stage victory over Zambia at that tournament—a psychological edge the Moroccan squad may draw from in this opening showdown.

Facing a Zambian team buoyed by recent continental success and offensive firepower, Morocco know they will be tested.

But with home support behind them and redemption within reach, the Atlas Lionesses are ready to roar into WAFCON 2024 with purpose and pride.

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Zambia’s Copper Queens will kick off their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 campaign with a high-stakes opening match against tournament hosts Morocco, bringing history, form, and renewed ambition into what promises to be a thrilling curtain-raiser.

Appearing in their fourth consecutive WAFCON since debuting in 2014, Zambia’s rise has been steady and impressive.

After a winless outing in their first tournament, the Copper Queens have grown into genuine contenders, culminating in a historic third-place finish in 2022 when they edged Nigeria in the bronze-medal match.

Their opening match record (P3 W1 D1 L1) shows a team learning from each tournament, with their only Day 1 defeat coming in 2014 against Namibia. Since then, they’ve proven increasingly difficult to beat—unbeaten in six of their last seven WAFCON matches (W3 D3 L1), with their only loss in that stretch coming in the 2022 semi-finals to eventual champions South Africa.

Known for tight contests, Zambia’s most common results in WAFCON history are 1-0 and 1-1 scorelines, recorded three times each. However, they are also capable of explosive performances, notably their 5-0 demolition of Equatorial Guinea in 2018, where Mary Mwakapila made history by scoring and assisting in the same match—a first for a Zambian at WAFCON.

Leading the line for Zambia this year is star forward Barbara Banda, who missed the 2022 edition but returns in sensational form. Africa’s all-time top Olympic Games goal scorer (male or female), Banda announced her return with a hat-trick in the qualifiers against Angola. Alongside her, Racheal Kundananji—Zambia’s joint-record scorer at a single WAFCON (three goals in 2018)—matched that tally again during the 2024 qualifiers, underlining her enduring threat.

At the helm is head coach Nora Häuptle, making her WAFCON debut as Zambia’s first-ever female and foreign head coach. The Swiss tactician, who previously led Ghana’s women’s team, has brought new tactical discipline and belief to the Zambian camp, guiding them through a dominant qualification campaign that saw them thrash Angola 12-0 on aggregate.

With form, firepower, and fresh leadership on their side, Zambia will look to spoil Morocco’s home party and make a powerful statement in their opening fixture. For the Copper Queens, the journey toward continental glory begins now.

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