Four Takeaways From The 2024 WAFCON: Nigeria,Morocco And The State Of African Women’s Football
2 min read
By Sportsgister
The 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has come to a thrilling conclusion, with Nigeria’s Super Falcons emerging as champions for the 10th time in their history.
The tournament, which kicked off on July 5, saw a record-breaking 66 goals from the 12 participating nations. Here are four key lessons to draw from this memorable event:
1. Nigeria Remains Africa’s Superpower
The Super Falcons dominated the tournament, successfully bagging their 10th title in a campaign they labeled “Mission X” prior to the tournament. Despite showing signs of faltering in their latter group matches, the Super Falcons came out firing on all cylinders in the knockouts.
They humbled Zambia 5-0 in the quarterfinals, defeated South Africa 2-1 in the semifinals, and overturned a 2-0 deficit in the final to beat hosts Morocco 3-2.
2. Host Advantage Truly Matters
Home advantage proved to be a significant factor for Morocco at the WAFCON.
The Atlas Lionesses, led by World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda, have invested heavily in their women’s team and have made remarkable progress in recent years.
Morocco’s experience hosting the 2022 and 2024 editions of the WAFCON has shown that the 12th man can be a crucial factor in the team’s success.
Other nations looking to make a mark on the WAFCON should invest in their infrastructure for upcoming tournaments.
3. Zambia Needs to Pull Up Their Socks
The 2024 WAFCON was a reality check for Zambia, who were expected to be genuine contenders for the title.
Despite boasting a talented strike partnership in Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, the Copper Queens were thrashed 5-0 by Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
Zambia needs to strengthen their defensive and midfield departments to contend at major tournaments. Coach Nora Häuptle has a lot of work ahead of her to assemble a team capable of delivering on the big stage.
4. African Women’s Football is Getting Competitive
The 2024 WAFCON saw some unexpected upsets, with title contenders facing challenges from less fancied teams. Nigeria, the eventual champions, were pushed to the wire by Botswana and held to a goalless draw by Algeria.
Tanzania stunned holders South Africa by taking the lead in their second group match, while the Democratic Republic of Congo proved to be a tough nut to crack for Zambia.
This competitiveness is a positive sign for African women’s football, and teams should not be underestimated.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
