Falcons to know WAFCON foes Friday

Super Falcons will know their group stage opponents for the rescheduled 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Friday when the official draw is held at the Mohammed VI Technical Centre in Sale, Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Confederation of African Football in a statement on its website confirmed the details of the draw, noting it will determine the groups for the 12 participating nations.

According to CAF, the tournament which was originally scheduled for 2024 but postponed to 2025 will hold from July 5 to July 26 in Morocco.

“The Confederation of African Football has confirmed official draw of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2024 will be conducted on Friday, 22 November 2024 at Mohammed VI Technical Centre in Sale, Morocco,” read the statement.

“The draw will start at 20h00 local time (19h00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on major broadcast channels across Africa and internationally, as well as on CAF’s digital streaming platform, CAF TV.

“The draw will determine the fate of the 12 Africa’s top women’s National Teams.

“The 13th edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place from 5 to 26 July 2025 in Morocco.”

The Nigeria women’s senior team is the most successful international women’s football team, having won a record 11 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles; their most recent title in 2018, after defeating South Africa in the final.

After failing to win their 12th title in Morocco in 2022, the Falcons will be determined to reclaim the title from champions South Africa who secured their maiden title with a victory over hosts Morocco.

The Falcons thrashed Cape Verde 7-1 on aggregate in the final round of qualifiers to book a place in the competition.

They will be joined by the Banyana Banyana, 2022 bronze medalists Zambia, hosts Morocco, and other top sides, including Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia.

Justine Madugu’s ladies are in fine form, defeating Algeria twice in friendly games in October and are set to face France on November 30 as part of their preparations.