Evritin you need to sabi about Wafcon 2024 finals
Afta dem push am back wit one year sake of scheduling issues, di tournament go start on Saturday, 5 July wen hosts Morocco go face Zambia for di Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Pipo wey dey listen to di World Service for Africa go hear live radio commentary of di game, di group clash between Mali and Tanzania, di two semi-finals and di final.
Record nine-time champions Nigeria go also dey in action for di opening weekend, dem go face Tunisia for Group B, while defending champions South Africa go start dia defence against Ghana for Group C on Monday, 7 July.
But wen dem go play di oda group fixtures go happun? Wetin be di format of di tournament? Wia dem go play di matches and wen dis matches go start?
All di tori wey you need ahead of di 13th edition of Africa's biggest women's footballing event dey inside hia.
Wetin be di groups?
Di Confederation of African Football (Caf) share di 12 teams wey qualify into three groups of four teams.
Hosts Morocco get tough assignment for Group A, sake of say dem group dem wit Zambia wey bin beat dem for di qualification for di 2024 Olympic Games.
Di Atlas Lionesses go also face Senegal and DR Congo, di top-ranked side from pot four.
Di draw no too stress Nigeria, wey dey hope to win dia first title since 2018 and dem still remain di top-ranked side for Africa and 36th for di world.
Di Super Falcons go play Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana - di lowest-ranked nations from each pot.
Group C get title holders South Africa wey go play Ghana and Mali, di two teams retuen to di finals for di first time since 2018, and Tanzania, wey dey come di tournament for just di second time afta dem showface for di first time for 2010.
Di top two teams for each group and di two best-ranked third-placed teams go progress to di quarter-finals.
Group A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, DR Congo.
Group B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana.
Group C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania.
Wafcon 2024 schedule and kick-off times
Afta di opening match, at least dem go play two matches evriday during di group stage wey go run until Monday, 14 July.
Di matches go happun 13:00pm, 16:00 and 19:00 (all times GMT) during di group stage.
Dem go use di last time 19:00 for di two kick-off time for di final two rounds of group games and di knockout stages, wey go start on Friday, 18 July.
Wafcon 2024 venues: Wia dem go play di matches?
Morocco bin host di Wafcon finals three years ago, but dem no go use di three venues dem use before again dis time.
Di North African kontri dey do plenti redevelopment projects as e dey prepare to stage di 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and co-host di 2030 Fifa World Cup.
Six stadiums will be used in five host cities, with two in Casablanca.
Di stadiums wey dem go use dis time na:
Who be di favourites?
Out of di 12 nations wey dey compete for Morocco, only Nigeria and South Africa don win di Wafcon trophy.
Di Super Falcons of Nigeria go travel to di kingdom wey get rich pedigree under homegrown coach Justin Madugu.
Chiamaka Nnadozie na di Africa best goalkeeper for di past two years and forward Asisat Oshoala go brings star quality and di mentality to win.
Coach Desiree Ellis of South Africa dey hope to defend di trophy wit di Banyana Banyana side wey go compete without dia ogbonge striker Thembi Kgatlana sake of of personal reasons.
However, Jermaine Seoposenwe don show hersef for Monterrey for Mexico and Hilda Magaia, wey share di Wafcon golden boot wit her for for 2022, dem go provide a cutting edge in front of goal.
Morocco don invested heavily for football infrastructure in recent years but dia women team neva get di success wey dia men get to becom di top team for di continent.
Atlas Lionesses get di Spanish football coach wey bin don win di Women's World Cup winner in di shape of Jorge Vilda. E bin guide Spain to di title for 2023.
Zambia bin finish third for di last edition and dem get di reigning Women's African Footballer of di Year, Barbra Banda, wey bin dey forced to miss out on di 2022 finals.
Di Orlando Pride striker go form strong partnership wit Racheal Kundananji, and di two strikers dey among di top four most expensive female players of all time. Swiss coach Nora Hauptle go guide di bid of di Copper Queens' afta she bin dey in charge of Ghana.
We go dey ask for too much if we tell di oda eight teams to mount serious challenge for di title, wit Ghana wey be di only nation among dem to appear for di final (1998, 2002 and 2006).
Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024 group fixtures
All kick-off times GMT.
Saturday 5 July
Group A: Morocco vs Zambia, Olympic Stadium, Rabat (20:00) - listen to live radio commentary on the BBC World Service in Africa
Sunday 6 July
Group A: Senegal vs Ivory Coast, El Bachir Stadium, Mohammedia (14:00)
Group B: Nigeria vs Tunisia, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (16:00)
Group B: Algeria vs Botswana, Pere Jego Stadium, Casablanca (19:00)
Monday 7 July
Group C: South Africa vs Ghana, Honneur Stadium, Oujda (16:00)
Group C: Mali vs Tanzania, Berkane Stadium, Berkane (19:00) - listen to live radio commentary on the BBC World Service in Africa
Wednesday 9 July
Group A: Zambia vs Senegal, Mohammedia (16:00)
Group A: DR Congo vs Morocco, Rabat (19:00)
Thursday 10 July
Group B: Botswana vs Nigeria, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (16:00)
Group B: Tunisia vs Algeria, Pere Jego Stadium, Casablanca (19:00)
Friday 11 July
Group C: Ghana vs Mali, Berkane (16:00)
Group C: Tanzania vs South Africa, Oujda (19:00)
Saturday 12 July
Group A: Morocco vs Senegal, Rabat (19:00)
Group A: Zambia vs DR Congo, Mohammedia (19:00)
Sunday 13 July
Group B: Nigeria vs Algeria, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (19:00)
Group B: Tunisia vs Botswana, Pere Jego Stadium, Casablanca (19:00)
Monday 14 July
Group C: South Africa vs Mali, Oujda (19:00)
Group C: Ghana vs Tanzania, Berkane (19:00)
Wafcon quarter-final fixtures
Friday 18 July
QF1: Group A Winner vs Group C/B 3rd Place, Rabat (19:00)
QF2: Group B Winner vs Group A Second Place, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (16:00)
Saturday 19 July
QF3: Group C Winner vs Group A/B 3rd Place, Oujda (19:00)
QF4: Group B Second Place vs Group C Second Place, Berkane (16:00)
Semi-finals
Tuesday 22 July
SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4, Rabat (19:00) - listen to live radio commentary on the BBC World Service in Africa
SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (16:00) - listen to live radio commentary on the BBC World Service in Africa
Third place play-off
Friday 25 July
SF1 losers vs SF2 losers, Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca (19:00)
Wafcon 2024 final
Saturday 26 July
SF1 winners vs SF2 winners, Olympic Stadium, Rabat (20:00) - listen to live radio commentary on the BBC World Service in Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Firm steps forward': Irene Paredes praises Spain progress before Euros final
Irene Paredes feels Spain have broken down barriers for women in their society since lifting the World Cup two years ago but the Euro 2025 finalists still have work to do. Spain have reached their first women's European final and are hoping to inspire more change at home, with 3.3 million viewers watching their semi-final victory over Germany. Before 2023's World Cup final victory over Sunday's opponents, England, Paredes had said: 'Many of us have grown up thinking that playing football was not our place. At that time, that's how I felt. Since then, firm steps have been taken forward. That way of thinking is disappearing from society. 'We have to keep opening doors and normalising situations. At that time, after the press conference, with the victory, many walls were torn down. There is still work to be done, but we are on the right track.' In the aftermath of the final in Sydney, Spain's triumph was soured when the Spanish Football Federation's Luis Rubiales kissed the Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent. Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault in February and the conviction upheld in June. Spain's head coach, Montse Tomé, said she was glad to now be discussing football matters rather than the Rubiales furore. 'We are a team, they are players that have been fighting, working, with energy and now they are able to focus energy on football,' she said. 'I can sit here and answer questions about football – this has changed. This means a lot to me. It shows the change we are getting. Right now, for all the effort I think the squad deserves [to be] winning. In the elite football world it's not always the case [that you win] but we'll do everything to try, tomorrow.' They beat England in a Nations League fixture in Barcelona in June, although they did lose 1-0 at Wembley in February. Tomé has drawn lessons from those matches. 'I expect a balanced game against a team that is good in attack, they have a very powerful attacking line, in midfield they also have a high level and they're very capable in defence. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion 'For these reasons, we have to [apply] pressure. From the Wembley [game], I felt we deserved more, we had the ball, we had moments. From the game in Barcelona, the first half was quite balanced, but then we overcame them because we put lots of pressure on to England,' she said. 'But England are very competitive – they showed during the tournament sometimes, even if they don't play very well, they end up winning. We know it will be hard.' Tomé, who has been in charge of the national side since September 2023 and is overseeing her first major tournament as the head coach, confirmed she has a full squad of 23 players available for the final at St Jakob Park.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Nigeria vs Morocco: Wafcon final match preview
Nigeria go face Morocco for di final of di 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations wey go happun on Saturday, 26 July for di Olympic stadium, Rabat, Morocco. Di nine-time champions and host kontri Morocco go put leg for one trouser as di two kontris go play for di trophy, prize money and pride. Football fans and pundits dey tok bout dis ogbonge clash, while some say Nigeria na favourites odas say Morocco too na favourites sake of home advantage and na dem dey lead di goal scorers chat. Dis na Morocco second final and first one back to back while na Nigeria first final since 2018. Match facts Both Nigeria and Morocco show class for di group stage, dem kontinue beta form for di quarter-finals and finish work for di semi-finals. Di two teams cruise to di final of di 2024 Wafcon wit style Wit dia back to back final di Atlas Lionesses don confam say dem no be small team for women's football for di continent. Morocco get beta brilliant talents like captain Ghizlane Chebbak wey be di leading top scorer. Ibtissam Jraidi wey fit change di game at any moment. difference at any moment. For Morocco , if dem win dis final e go show say dia football women's football don develop. For Nigeria dem still be di powerhouse for women's football for Africa and dem get dia nine titles to show as evidence. Dis final na opportunity for dem to make anoda history. Wit ogbonge players like Captain Rasheedat Ajibade wey don win three Women's Player of di Match award and Chinwendu Ihezuo wey be di top scorer for Nigeria wit three goals, di team dey determined to win. Dis final go determine weda e go be di first time for Morocco or 10th for Nigeria - who go win Wafcon final? Wetin di coaches tok Di 21,000-seater Olympic Stadium for Rabat go host dis ogbonge final and di Head coach of Morocco Vilda, wey originally come from Spain Morocco's Spanish say "to play for front of our home crowd na beta source of energy. Dis stadium na more dan a pitch, na arena wia our dreams fit come to life." Nigeria Head Coach, Justin Madugu, say dem need to beat di pressure from di host kontri. "We know di stakes and how stong di Moroccan crowd be. But our players bin don experience am for major finals and know how to handle dis type of match." Di two coaches end wit battle of words bifor di final. Vilda say "Di match go dey intense, and evri detail go count... we need to dey ready to counter dia strengths, as we go impose our own pace." . Madugu say "We know say Morocco na strong team, but we get our own game plan." Kick-off na 9pm and we go do live updates
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
'A different world' - Spain's transformation after World Cup fallout
The last time Spain played in the final of a major tournament, it was a watershed moment for the only did they win their first major women's trophy, but the players were about to find themselves at the centre of a sexism of celebrating their historic World Cup victory in 2023, when they defeated England 1-0, Spain's triumph was overshadowed by nearly two years later, La Roja are preparing to play the Lionesses once again in Sunday's Euro 2025 has unfolded in the meantime? And how different has this tournament been for Spain? How did we get here? Just as Spain were getting ready to lift the World Cup trophy, Luis Rubiales - the country's football federation president - kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the was a kiss that Rubiales said was consensual, but Hermoso said was followed was a storm of criticism, widespread protests and a court case that found Rubiales guilty of sexual said the incident had "stained one of the happiest days" of her the immediate aftermath, 81 players - including all 23 World Cup winners - said they would not play for Spain again while Rubiales was in charge."It was a difficult period for the Spanish players," England midfielder Ella Toone said on Friday."What they did in the World Cup, for that [the Rubiales incident] then to be the main talking point, I think was really tough for them and was something they shouldn't have had to go through." The boycott only ended almost a month later when Spain's football association, the RFEF, promised "profound changes" following a lengthy meeting with players and government officials. 'A different world' Speaking to BBC Sport last month, Amanda Gutierrez - the president of players' union Futpro - explained that the RFEF promised to improve the players' working conditions and provide equal access to the same resources the men's side have those changes been evident at Euro 2025? "It's a different world," Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague said. "The players are saying 'we only have to worry now about playing', so that's completely new."Spain's performances have certainly reflected that attitude as they defeated Portugal, Belgium and Italy by a combined score of 14-3 in the group Tome's side then saw off a stubborn Switzerland side in the quarter-finals, before scoring an extra-time winner against eight-time winners Germany to reach their first European Championship played 120 minutes in their semi-final and played a day later than England, but former midfielder Vicky Losada said their mental resilience will help them overcome their lack of recovery time."Knowing them, straight after the game against Germany they will be thinking about doing anything they can to be ready for this game," Losada told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily."They have 24 hours less to recover but the mental strength of the girls, because of their experience, because of all they have won, is massive."The players on the team are winners. For a lot of them, the only major tournament they are missing is the Euros. They know they have one opportunity."Sara Alcaraz Guiterrez, a reporter for national Spanish radio, said this is the first tournament since the 2023 World Cup where she hasn't had to "speak about the federation and what is happening inside"."The players are more relaxed because they know everyone in Spain is speaking just about the Euros. It's like 'finally'." 'Tome cannot do any better' Former coach Jorge Vilda may have delivered World Cup glory to Spain, but he will be remembered in a negative light by some for his role in their triumphant head coach, who was booed by some fans after the final, had survived a player revolt before the tournament and was viewed as one of Rubiales' closest his side on the touchline was Montse Tome, his assistant coach who became his successor a few weeks after the World Cup were concerns about her appointment, with many viewing it as a continuation of the previous regime, while she had no previous experience as a head Tome at the helm, Spain won the inaugural Women's Nations League in February 2024, but their fourth-place finish five months later at the Paris Olympics was deemed a their journey to the Euro final, and the unity within the squad, seem to have changed perceptions of the former Spain midfielder."She cannot do any better in terms of results," said Balague. "She's not friends with them [the players]. She's not supposed to be either. "You hear her talk and she makes a lot of sense. She's got a clear idea of how to maximize the potential."She's not a representative of the previous regime, but she was present. Even if that's in the back of the mind of anybody, you look around and it's a completely different place. So I don't think there is a lot of hard feelings about where she's been, because she's been quite fair." 'The players want to move on' Not only is Sunday's final in Basel an opportunity for Spain to win their first European crown, but it's also a chance to celebrate achieving a major trophy without a cloud of controversy hanging over them. "It's something external that happened at the time," Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas said."Now we're focused on giving our best to win this title. We're not thinking about celebrations or non-celebrations; we're only thinking about being prepared and doing well so that we can get closer to our goal."The culture within the Spanish camp also appears to have changed drastically from the World Cup in 2023, when they arrived in New Zealand with a divided squad amid a backdrop of unrest around then head coach Vilda."The things have changed," Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati added. "There's a very healthy and united group. We can see that on the pitch. We all agree on this."Spain's Euro 2025 squad includes 11 World-Cup winning players, although Hermoso was not selected by explained: "They want to move on, and it makes sense," "The players I've spoken to, they all have mixed feelings. They [Rubiales and the RFEF] took the celebrations away from them, but they changed our society and the way we think about women's football, and also women in society."They have advanced society. Nobody will give them a trophy for that."Former Lionesses forward Ellen White was part of Sarina Wiegman's side beaten by Spain in the 2023 World Cup final, but said this group of Spanish players deserve their moment in the spotlight."The controversy was so horrible. I felt for the whole team after the World Cup final," White told BBC Radio 5 Live. "They weren't able to celebrate and have that monumental moment."This final brings them the chance to create absolute history. Enjoy it, have nothing else to think about and if they were to win to just bask in the absolute joy of winning a tournament together as a group of individuals. And hopefully the whole of Spain will be celebrating what they have done."They deserve this. They have worked so hard and it would be an absolutely amazing moment for the whole team."
