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BBC News
2 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
What we learned from Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024
Nigeria clinched a record-extending 10th Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title in Rabat on final will live long in the memory after the West Africans fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to beat hosts Super Falcons also picked up $1m (£745,000) after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) boosted the overall prize fund for the delayed 2024 edition of the the tournament in Morocco threw up several issues which Caf and national federations need to address in order to boost the women's game on the continent. The attendance conundrum South Africa coach Desiree Ellis was among those to criticise the scheduling delay in staging the 2024 finals - and the tournament being played at the same time as the 2025 European Championship restricted international media games drew capacity crowds to the Olympic Stadium in the capital, but the neighbouring and much larger Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which drew an African-record crowd of over 50,000 when it hosted the final three years ago, could not be used because it is being renovated ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which begins in at matches not involving the Atlas Lionesses were disappointingly low, with little signposting of the competition in host cities away from stadiums, while overseas supporter numbers are often restricted by the high costs associated with travelling across the continent."We need time to progress but we are certain, with the potential that we have, we will reach the level of sister competitions," Caf general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba told BBC Sport points out that an immediate comparison to the packed venues seen in Switzerland at this month's Euros comes with a caveat."Europe, to reach this level, started about 25 or 30 years [ago]," Mosengo-Omba said."Success is not built in one day. The potential is there, but give us the time to work hard." The standard on the pitch The four lowest-ranked sides were the ones eliminated at the end of the group stage but Wafcon 2024 largely saw an improved level of in particular was marked by Algeria reaching the knockout phase for the first time - exiting the finals without conceding a goal - and Senegal pushing South Africa all the way to penalties in the last the first round of qualifying for the 2026 Wafcon has featured several one-sided ties and next year's finals will again include 12 is keen to raise standards across the continent before expanding the finals further."The executive committee is discussing [an] increase in the number of teams for the next edition and also to reinforce our domestic leagues," Mosengo-Omba revealed."We know that there are a lot of barriers that we have to fold down in order to make progress."Caf also faces a challenge to strengthen the Women's African Champions League, its flagship continental club tournament, which will retain its format as an eight-team tournament played in a two-week window. Bridging the gender pay gap The all-too-frequent problems that blight African football tournaments were present again, with South Africa and DR Congo enduring disputes over bonus payments, allowances and captain Rasheedat Ajibade called out Caf over the state of their accommodation ahead of the finals, and the Super Falcons were moved to an alternative hotel as a result.A gender pay gaps remains even if Caf doubled the prize money for the winners, handed $500,000 (£372,000) to runners-up Morocco and boosted the overall prize fund by 45% to $3.45m (£2.57m).Yet those figures pale when compared to the $7m (£5.2m) Ivory Coast got for winning the 2023 Afcon, when even runners-up Nigeria received $4m (£3m).Wages for club players on the continent are stubbornly low compared to male counterparts, and former Nigeria forward Desire Oparanozie feels they deserve more."The discrepancy is as big as the ocean," she said."It's not deserving because we're doing the same sport. And for example, the United States national team, between the male and the female, who wins more laurels?"Even with my national team Nigeria, the Super Falcons and Super Eagles, the women have had more success than the men." More investment needed One potential source of income could be from improved broadcast deals and commercial contracts, even if viewers for the women's game are lower than men's matches."We play the same sport but it's not the same world. We can understand that," Morocco forward Sakina Ouzraoui said."We are always asking for more viewers, but we cannot have that tomorrow, so we have to be patient."Caf has been busy signing sponsorships for the 2025 Afcon but now needs to build on corresponding deals for executive from a multinational which recently partnered with Caf for Afcon said his company is "absolutely" interested in expanding its sponsorship to the women's game."Women's football is a sport, but it's also a business," Ghana forward Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah told BBC Sport Africa."So, for me, the more fans that are engaging in women's football, the more shirt sales, the more broadcast views, that's only going to make the women get paid more."The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) leads the way when it comes to supporting the club game in Africa - although their strategy is backed fully and bankrolled by funds from King Mohammed North African nation aims to establish its women's league as the best on the continent and the RMFF provides $500 (£373) a month per player to each top-flight club to help guarantee no other country has such reserves. Instead, they largely rely on prize money and distributions from Caf and world governing body may have asked for patience on attendances at Wafcon, but Morocco will have an early chance to improve on the current benchmark when the 2026 finals - scheduled to be played in March next year - come around.
CAF
11 hours ago
- Sport
- CAF
Rasheedat Ajibade named WAFCON 2024 Best Player
Published: Monday, 28 July 2025 She came. She saw. She conquered. Rasheedat Ajibade is the TotalEnergies WAFCON 2024 Woman of the Tournament after guiding Nigeria to their 10th record-extending title. Captain fantastic in every aspect, the 25-year-old Ajibade has been instrumental in inspiring the Super Falcons to a historic achievement – winning 10 of 13 editions. Magical even. From the opening whistle to the final game, she stood tall even when the odds looked like they were against her. Just like the leader that she is, she displayed her relentlessness and embraced the moment and never looked back. When she was invited to the photoshoot with the new WAFCON trophy prior to the start of the tournament at the iconic Hassan II Tower, she looked at it and promised herself that Nigeria would lift this beautiful crown. It is that will to gather her troops every time that they walked onto the field that led her to this moment – the moment where Nigeria once again, conquered Africa. From strength to strength Vocal on and off the field, Ajibade has shown her quality every time that she has stepped onto the field of play. The blue-haired girl from Lagos poured her heart into this campaign, often seen urging her teammates to stay locked in even if it helps that they are already motivated. When her team needed a spark, she lit it. In whatever role she was assigned, she scanned for spaces occasionally, made passes in the tighest of angles and kept Nigeria's opponents guessing. She exploited the athleticism of her team in ways that came face-to-face with the weaknesses of their opponents and with that, she dictated the tempo of each game. She earned three Woman of the Match Awards against Botswana, Zambia and South Africa while finding the back of the net once – a penalty against South Africa's Andile Dlamini who was yet to score until that point. This is the second time that Ajibade is being awarded at the WAFCON after she walked away with the Joint Top Scorer Award at the 2022 edition – tied with Ghizlane Chebbak of Morocco and South Africa's Hildah Magaia. Legacy attained For Ajibade, two TotalEnergies WAFCON titles in the bag and a silver medal on top of the individual awards, this is the stuff of dreams. The stage was set in Morocco and this time, the Nigerians achieved their revenge. The Atlas Lionesses had stunned the Super Falcons in the semifinals three years ago (5-4 penalties; 1-1) after the latter went down by two players. As Ajibade received her award inside the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, emotional after this achievement, she appreciated the recognition. An inspiration to many a girl in Africa and the world, Ajibade continues to write her own chapter in a sea of success at home and abroad.
France 24
15 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
Sudan: RSF names parallel government
Africa 14:41 A coalition led by the paramilitary group fighting for power in Sudan's brutal civil war has announced the leadership for its self-declared parallel government, further tearing the fabric of a fraying nation. Also, Islamic states take responsibility for a brutal attack on a church in eastern DRC that killed at least 43 worshippers. IS claims that dozens of homes and shops were burned during the attack. Finally, the super Falcons back on Nigerians soil after flying high with a stunning Women's Africa Cup of Nations victory over Morocco. The team bringing home their 10th title after a dramatic 3-2 comeback against the atlas lionesses on saturday.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
World Football Wafcon: Nigeria shock Morocco to complete Mission X
Available for over a year Maz Farookhi presents reaction from Rabat as Nigeria come back from 2-0 down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final. For Nigeria, it is a record extending 10th title, while Morocco have now lost the last two finals. The Atlas Lionesses led 2-0 at the break in Rabat through Ghizlane Chebbak's fine curling effort and a scuffed shot from Sanaa Mssoudy. But Esther Okoronkwo inspired the West Africans after the break, pulling a goal back from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after Nouhaila Benzina handled Folamide Ijamilusi's cross. Okoronko burst into the Morocco box and squared for Ijamilusi to equalise in the 71st minute, then teed up substitute Jennifer Echegini to score the winner with two minutes of the game remaining. Four time Wafcon winner Desire Oparanozie and BBC Sport Africa's Rob Stevens join Maz from the Olympic Stadium. Photo: Nigeria's players celebrate with the trophy on the podium after winning the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations final football match against Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on July 26, 2025. (Credit: AFP via Getty Images)
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Is Morocco's plethora of tournament hosting duties helping its investment or stalling others'?
The 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final between Nigeria and Morocco in Rabat on Saturday was a clash between a nine-time winner, whose federation has been more of an opponent than a supporter, and a two-time finalist, who has essentially found a 12th player in its federation. Nigeria Super Falcons claimed their tenth title, known as Mission X, in thrilling style, fingernailing their way back from a 2-0 deficit in the second half with goals from Esther Okoronkwo, Florence Ijamilusi and Jennifer Echegini. It also meant that Morocco's Atlas Lionesses suffered back-to-back WAFCON losses as hosts, a first in the history of the continental tournament. Advertisement Morocco is coached by former Spanish manager Jorge Vilda, who was fired from the Spain job after their 2023 World Cup win amid the investigation into former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales and the non-consensual kiss he gave to forward Jennifer Hermoso during the award ceremony. Despite that history, Vilda's hiring was seen as part of Morocco's significant investment at the club and national team levels. The nation is also hosting the men's African Cup of Nations in December and January, a third consecutive WAFCON in 2026 and the 2030 men's World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal. No African federation is investing in its women's team more than Morocco, and it could be proof of why Morocco should continue to host these tournaments. However, there is also an argument to be made for hosting duties to go to the countries that need a boost in exposure, similar to how Tatjana Haenni, a former Switzerland national team player, led the Swiss bid to host the 2025 women's Euros. But as Morocco nurses its wounds from a second straight WAFCON home loss in a final while also preparing to host its third in a row next year, there will, and should, be questions about which philosophy sits at the head of the table for women's football in Africa. The Confederation of African Football (CAF), for its part, has made investment strides of its own this WAFCON, doubling the prize money for the winning team to $1 million and increasing the remaining pot prize by 45 percent; Morocco will receive $500,000 as finalists, Ghana $350,000 for coming in third place. 🤩🤩🤩 Congratulations to @NGSuper_Falcons. The Champions of TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2024. 🙌 They staged an extraordinary second-half comeback to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 to lift their 10th WAFCON title at the Stade Olympique in Rabat on Saturday… — CAF Media (@CAF_Media) July 26, 2025 'We are very proud of the investments we've made over the last few years,' CAF president Patrice Motsepe said ahead of the final. 'They are being entrenched and the future of African women's football is enormously bright, and we will continue to make more financial resources available for the competitions.' Advertisement Motsepe added his wish that 'a significant amount of that money go into the pockets of the women players and the technical team, and also to make sure that in every country in Africa, the partnerships with government, the partnerships with the private sector are very important because our focus is to make women's football world class.' Morocco has done their part to back teams financially. In 2019, Moroccan King Mohammed VI established an eponymous football facility in Rabat, the new $65 million home to the entire national team, juniors and seniors, women and men. The following year, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation professionalized the preexisting National Women's League, now D1 Féminin, beginning with the 2021 season. At the time, Morocco had only competed in two WAFCON tournaments in 1998 and 2000; between the two campaigns, it won one game and lost five, scoring five goals and conceding 22. In this way, Morocco has undeniably improved despite the consecutive final losses. Half of the players named to Morocco's 24-player roster compete domestically. Moroccan striker and WAFCON Golden Boot winner Ghizlane Chebbak has won 10 titles with Moroccan club giant ASFAR, as well as a 2022 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League. But the Moroccan federation's investments and ambitions have not been exclusively focused on the women's side; it's been bullish on the men's, too. And why wouldn't it be after the men's national team made history as the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal? Sandwiched between the 2024 and 2026 WAFCONs will be the men's version of the tournament held between December and January, and the preparations for that affected this WAFCON. Due to the renovations of larger stadiums in Rabat and Casablanca, used during the 2022 WAFCON, this year's matches were held at smaller venues in those cities, in addition to Mohammedia (situated between Rabat and Casablanca along the coast), and Berkane and Oujda in the far east of the country near the border with Algeria. Attendance at those remote games was visibly poor, although the federation did provide discounted transportation and free tickets to Moroccan nationals for some of the host's matches. All of the Atlas Lionesses' matches took place in Rabat and were bursting with home crowd energy. Morocco's opponent, Nigeria, is, by other metrics, in a prime position to embody Africa's best as a football nation and therefore be primed to host. However, despite their ten wins, they continue to battle their federation for pay, a long-term coach and productive international windows. The federation did not schedule any friendlies for the Super Falcons between November and June, a month before WAFCON kicked off. Advertisement Where Nigeria and other West, East and Southern African federations serving as WAFCON hosts could edge Morocco is in attendance. Each of those regions belongs to a bloc — the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) — that encourages nationals to travel to other member states with either relaxed or visa-free entry. For reference, the tourist visa fee for a Nigerian citizen to travel to Morocco is $159. Either way, Morocco will host again next year. And the schedule realignment after the COVID-19 delay means that the next tournament will only be a year away, narrowing the window between this historic occasion and the next to allow for momentum to build. With the men's AFCON over by then, the larger stadiums WAFCON enjoyed in 2022 will once again be available. But the pressure on the three-time hosts and two-time finalists will be greater than ever to take home a continental title. Otherwise, Morocco risks establishing itself as a team unable to return on its investment when it matters most.
