WAFCON 2024 qualifying series has produced one of the biggest shockers in Africa’s women’s football with four-time finalists of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon eliminated by Kenya on Tuesday which means they will not play in next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Not just the Indomitable Lioness, Cote d’Ivoire 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 by Tanzania.
Both favorites to qualify going into the tie lost on penalties to Kenya and Tanzania respectively unfortunately in a similar fate.
For the first time since 1991, the Indomitable Lionesses will not participate in the final phase of the WAFCON.
On the other hand, Super Falcons of Nigeria who achieved a round of 16 finish at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup staged in Australia and New Zealand will be wary of any upset from Cape Verde who eliminated Liberia with a 6-2 aggregate score-line in both legs of the encounter.
First-round elimination results
Kenya 1-0 Cameroon (agg 1-1) Kenya won 4-3 on penalties
Ethiopia 1-1 Burundi (agg 2-2) Burundi wins 5-3 on penalties
Tanzania 2-0 Cote d’Ivoire (agg 2-2) Tanzania wins 5-3 on penalties
Mauritius 0-3 Guinea (agg 11-0)
Botswana 6-0 Gabon (agg 10-1)
Niger 1-5 Tunisia (agg 12-1)
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)
Liberia 2-3 Cape Verde (agg 6-2)
Benin 1-2 DR Congo (agg 4-2)
Togo 6-0 Djibouti (agg 12-0)
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, and 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
