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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How NWSL teams plan to beat the annual mid-summer miasma
The summer of women's soccer is almost over, and it has been exciting. England held off Spain in a nail-biting penalty shootout to retain the UEFA Women's Euro title, while Nigeria stomped back from two goals down to snatch the WAFCON crown for the 10th time from hosts Morocco. Across both tournaments and the ongoing Copa America Feminina, 108 NWSL players were called up to represent their national teams and they many weren't just participants, they were game-changers. Gotham FC's goal keeper Ann-Katrin Berger almost single-handedly (pun very much intended) carried Germany to the semifinal of the Euros, while her club teammate Esther González, the top goal scorer of the tournament with four, and Spain turned the tournament into a football masterclass. Las Rojas ultimately fell short to the Lionesses, which boasts three NWSL stars — Jess Carter, Esme Morgan and Anna Moorhouse — but with most international duties wrapped and rivalries shelved until 2027, now the focus shifts stateside and the league seems optimistic that fans will rush back to the stadiums to see these stars in action. Despite this summer's unprecedented success with audiences and growing interest in women's soccer, the infamous midseason break remains one of the league's biggest challenges. Whether for international tournaments like the Women's Euros and the World Cup or for the Olympic Games, it effectively puts a pause on any fan momentum clubs had built earlier in the season. Clubs can have record-breaking attendances in May and June, and — with no games for weeks — by August, the league faces the risk of fading from local sports consciousness. That's why front offices don't just rely on preseason ticket pushes. Teams also build a second strategy, tailored for the sweltering dog days of August, to reignite buzz, refill seats and restore the momentum heading into the playoffs in the fall. Teams are not alone in planning clever ways to capture audiences; the league is fully behind them. The league's Return to Play celebration not only highlights the exceptional performances of NWSL players, but it also features the first Rivalry Weekend with three key matchups from Aug. 8-10, including Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign, Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC, and San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC. These campaigns are not just one-off ideas. They align with broader leaguewide trends showing that experiences and star power are what move the needle when it comes to fan engagement and ticket sales. Curious to see which team had the strongest game plan, I picked up the phone and started digging. I found out that some clubs are pulling out more than just T-shirt cannons. 'We deliberately scheduled our Pride Match as the first game back,' Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, Seattle Reign's chief business officer, explained to me. 'For us, the Pride match is central to the Reign's identity, alongside our home-and-away rivalries. We knew we couldn't host it at home due to the Club World Cup schedule in June, but it was essential to mark that moment and maintain the significance of the match.' With three back-to-back matches, including the Cascadian Derby on Aug. 10 and a special 1985 USWNT gathering back in Seattle on Aug. 18, the Reign is taking advantage of every opportunity to engage with fans. Another club that put together a robust blueprint to bring more fans to its stands is Washington Spirit. The club told me that they are rolling out an aggressive fan engagement strategy for the second half of the season, anchored by their 'Midseason Momentum' campaign. On top of the list is reviving popular ticket deals like 'Ticket & a Drink,' 'Me + 3,' which offers fans four tickets for the price of three for select games and introducing a new 'First Match Free' campaign with their opener to reach new Spirit fans with free tickets to Audi Field. Spirit is one of the handful of teams in the league that consistently fills their stands, so it was surprising to see the lengths they go to meet their fans where they are. With a 32 percent increase in attendance this year vs. 2024, the club told me they expect the second half to be strong, especially with Trinity Rodman's post-injury return and the signing of Italy's Sofia Cantore. 'We saw our season-ticket base grow by 71 percent, sold out our home opener in front of a record crowd of 19,254 fans and have had three of the top 10 crowds in club history at Audi Field in the first half of the season and expect these strong numbers to continue,' Ben Kessler, the director of communications, told me in an email. While their data on August is mixed, with some seasons seeing high attendance and others being low, the club still feels confident that midseason promotions will have very good attendance. Up in New York, Gotham FC, whose stars were in the spotlight this summer, is investing heavily in its home opener against the Spirit. Due to high ticket demand, for the Aug. 9 match, Gotham is opening the upper bowl at Sports Illustrated Stadium and launching a full slate of promotions, including a postgame autograph session and targeted ticket discounts tied to players' Euros performances. To literally bring fans to the stadium, the club is also piloting the GFC Express bus service, a round trip service from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Jersey City that fans can purchase (It certainly will impact my game day decision to go to Harrison if I don't have to suffer NJ Transit's unreliable summer weekend schedules.) With only a handful of home games left in the calendar, Gotham said in an email that they plan to dedicate the most time, budget, and special programming to boost attendance and engagement for their biggest games, including their Sept. 7 game against Angel City FC, one of the most important home games of the season against their West Coast rivals. West Coast powerhouses Bay FC and Angel City FC, two teams that typically don't struggle to fill their stands, have also been proactive in ensuring they maintain their momentum. Bay FC has decided to move its Aug. 23 home game against the Washington Spirit to Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in an attempt to set a new NWSL single-game attendance record. This move follows in the footsteps of the Chicago Red Stars, who relocated their match against Bay FC to Wrigley Field and set the current record with 35,008 attendees. For context, Bay FC averaged 13,617 fans per game during their inaugural 2024 season. While some teams are focused on breaking attendance records, others are working twice as hard: not only to bring fans back to the stadium but also to keep them engaged during the grueling summer months. Convincing people to sit in a stadium in 90+ degree heat is a tough ask. Afternoon games can feel brutal, and some days, even evening matches don't offer much relief. That's why clubs like the North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride, two of the league's hottest markets — in attendance and meteorologically — are embracing the heat. The Courage's 'Courageously Cool Summer' initiative aims to keep fans comfortable during the sweltering July and August matchdays at First Horizon Stadium. In addition to perks like $25 in 'Courage Cash' in-stadium credits with ticket purchases and custom cooler giveaways, my personal favorites are shaded misting stations and hydration-friendly policies with refill stations throughout the venue, great ideas FIFA should have thought about for the Club World Cup. The club said fans can also shop for heat-beating merchandise like cooling towels and portable fans, available in the stadium. 'This is a continuation of our 2025 mantra to meet our fans where they are,' Ralph Vuono, the COO of Courage, told me via email. 'Our club has historically experienced a dip in attendance during the summer months, and the heat has been a common reason cited in feedback from fans. This year, we are leaning into the situation and tackling the heat head-on, inviting our fans to join us.' Despite the August dip, the club's engagement strategy with fans has been successful this season: Through the first six home matches of the season, four have hit the top-5 best-attended in club history, and NCC saw its first-ever spring sellout on May 10 match against Orlando Pride, which ended with a 1-1 draw. Vuono said the club's total attendance this season is 50,066 and the average regular-season attendance is 7,578. 'Last season, we set a new club record for full-season attendance, and we are well on our way to surpassing that number in 2025,' he said. In Orlando, the Pride did not wait for August and bet on keeping fans engaged throughout July with soccer clinics for girls aged 5-18 led by the club's youth development coaches, and water park activities that came with a bonus ticket to the Aug. 3 match versus Utah Royals FC. 'We're using this (July) window to host community events and to keep fans connected through appearances by in-market players,' Pedro Araujo, the CMO of Pride, told me over email. The club is also leveraging other soccer events in-market to keep local media engaged while building excitement for the Pride's return to play through longer paid-media campaign flights. 'This momentum leads into a packed Q3, featuring fan-favorite events like our Florida Night theme night, an exclusive Barbra Banda bobblehead ticket package, and our first-ever Kids Night Teddy Bear Toss in partnership with Orlando Health Children's Hospital — all designed to deliver unforgettable experiences and deepen our connection with fans,' he said. The club saw a major surge in momentum following its NWSL Championship last year, including a 57 percent increase year-over-year in season ticket memberships, a 20 percent rise in attendance and a 29 percent bump in sponsorship. It also became the most-followed team in the NWSL with 1 million followers across all social media channels. A recent study analyzing all 167 regular-season NWSL games in 2023 found that themed events significantly boost attendance, increasing it by about nine percentage points, while traditional promotions like giveaways or discounted tickets had only a marginal impact. The research highlights that fans are more motivated by immersive, values-driven experiences than by material incentives. The study also found spikes in attendance following the Women's World Cup and when marquee players were on the visiting team, suggesting that momentum from international tournaments and star power play important roles. While themed events and big stars drive fans in, some clubs have to think deeper about August as they deal with weather-related disadvantages.A handful of teams, including Chicago and Houston Dash, not only need to bring fans back, but they also have to find clever ways to protect them from the wrath of summer's scorching days. August is the hottest month in Houston, with average highs of 95 degrees. In Chicago, typical daily highs hover around 80 degrees, with overnight lows near 67 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. With matches scheduled mostly at night, both teams aim to avoid looking at empty seats. Confident they will fill the seats against Orlando Pride, Chicago moved its Sept. 7 match to Northwestern's Ryan Field in Evanston. 'It's one of our marquee matches this season, along with our Soldier Field match,' Emmanuel Salazar, public relations manager at the Stars, explained. 'We really want to take advantage of being in a different venue, different location and using that to the best of our advantage to make a fun experience for all our fans that come out and as a good first impression for fans in Evanston giving our matches a try for the first time.' Houston, on the other hand, played most of their home matches in the first half of the season when the weather was more agreeable. But they still have several themed events lined up when the league resumes in August, slated as evening matches to avoid uncomfortable temperatures. For their first home game on Aug. 8, the team will celebrate Black excellence. In September, they'll host a Latin Night for their match against Chicago, followed by Space City Night for their October matchup against Orlando. The season will wrap up with Fan Appreciation Night on Oct. 18 against Kansas City. One of the teams that openly admits filling the seats has been difficult due to the weather is Racing Louisville. The club said the attendance is down year-over-year, averaging 4,731, with their home opener and a game in May both postponed due to storms. Also, what would have been a potential record crowd in April for a game against the popular, star-laden Washington Spirit coincided with the 'Thunder Over Louisville' air and fireworks shows, which drew 11,000+ for the year prior, fell flat because historic flooding in Louisville led to Thunder's cancellation. Over the break, the club won the Women's Cup in Brazil and is hoping to make it to the playoffs this year. As they return to play, they won't only promote a new theme, Down the Stretch Night, an homage to the club's name and its connection to horse racing, they are also running a supporter section flash sale for $5.02 tickets (Louisville's area code is 502) for the initial game back, against first-place Kansas City on Friday. Talking about Kansas City, that's one NWSL team that, no matter what day of the year or how the weather is, they seem to fill seats. 'Our fans have shown up in incredible ways the past two seasons at CPKC Stadium,' Jocelyn Monroe, the Current VP of marketing, said. 'Selling out every regular-season home match since opening in 2024 is a powerful reflection of that momentum.' During the midseason break, the club hosts the four-team Teal Rising Cup tournament and third-party events like women's rugby. 'This success allows us to widen the aperture of our marketing, elevate the Kansas City Current story beyond the pitch and invest in long-term fan engagement,' Monroe said. Kansas City may be the exception; most clubs can't count on sellout crowds regardless of the calendar. Most teams don't own their stadiums or share with the MLS teams, so creative programming is not an option for maintaining visibility during lulls in league play. But at the end of the day, it's not just about filling seats, it's about staying relevant year-round. One thing is for sure: Until the NWSL aligns its calendar with the European season, which runs from fall to summer, the midseason pause will continue to disrupt momentum. Solving that won't happen overnight, but in the meantime, clubs hustle hard and treat every August like a relaunch. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. NWSL, Sports Business, Women's Soccer 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How NWSL teams plan to beat the annual mid-summer miasma
The summer of women's soccer is almost over, and it has been exciting. England held off Spain in a nail-biting penalty shootout to retain the UEFA Women's Euro title, while Nigeria stomped back from two goals down to snatch the WAFCON crown for the 10th time from hosts Morocco. Across both tournaments and the ongoing Copa America Feminina, 108 NWSL players were called up to represent their national teams and they many weren't just participants, they were game-changers. Advertisement Gotham FC's goal keeper Ann-Katrin Berger almost single-handedly (pun very much intended) carried Germany to the semifinal of the Euros, while her club teammate Esther González, the top goal scorer of the tournament with four, and Spain turned the tournament into a football masterclass. Las Rojas ultimately fell short to the Lionesses, which boasts three NWSL stars — Jess Carter, Esme Morgan and Anna Moorhouse — but with most international duties wrapped and rivalries shelved until 2027, now the focus shifts stateside and the league seems optimistic that fans will rush back to the stadiums to see these stars in action. Despite this summer's unprecedented success with audiences and growing interest in women's soccer, the infamous midseason break remains one of the league's biggest challenges. Whether for international tournaments like the Women's Euros and the World Cup or for the Olympic Games, it effectively puts a pause on any fan momentum clubs had built earlier in the season. Clubs can have record-breaking attendances in May and June, and — with no games for weeks — by August, the league faces the risk of fading from local sports consciousness. That's why front offices don't just rely on preseason ticket pushes. Teams also build a second strategy, tailored for the sweltering dog days of August, to reignite buzz, refill seats and restore the momentum heading into the playoffs in the fall. Teams are not alone in planning clever ways to capture audiences; the league is fully behind them. The league's Return to Play celebration not only highlights the exceptional performances of NWSL players, but it also features the first Rivalry Weekend with three key matchups from Aug. 8-10, including Portland Thorns vs. Seattle Reign, Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC, and San Diego Wave FC vs. Angel City FC. These campaigns are not just one-off ideas. They align with broader leaguewide trends showing that experiences and star power are what move the needle when it comes to fan engagement and ticket sales. Curious to see which team had the strongest game plan, I picked up the phone and started digging. I found out that some clubs are pulling out more than just T-shirt cannons. 'We deliberately scheduled our Pride Match as the first game back,' Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, Seattle Reign's chief business officer, explained to me. 'For us, the Pride match is central to the Reign's identity, alongside our home-and-away rivalries. We knew we couldn't host it at home due to the Club World Cup schedule in June, but it was essential to mark that moment and maintain the significance of the match.' With three back-to-back matches, including the Cascadian Derby on Aug. 10 and a special 1985 USWNT gathering back in Seattle on Aug. 18, the Reign is taking advantage of every opportunity to engage with fans. Advertisement Another club that put together a robust blueprint to bring more fans to its stands is Washington Spirit. The club told me that they are rolling out an aggressive fan engagement strategy for the second half of the season, anchored by their 'Midseason Momentum' campaign. On top of the list is reviving popular ticket deals like 'Ticket & a Drink,' 'Me + 3,' which offers fans four tickets for the price of three for select games and introducing a new 'First Match Free' campaign with their opener to reach new Spirit fans with free tickets to Audi Field. Spirit is one of the handful of teams in the league that consistently fills their stands, so it was surprising to see the lengths they go to meet their fans where they are. With a 32 percent increase in attendance this year vs. 2024, the club told me they expect the second half to be strong, especially with Trinity Rodman's post-injury return and the signing of Italy's Sofia Cantore. 'We saw our season-ticket base grow by 71 percent, sold out our home opener in front of a record crowd of 19,254 fans and have had three of the top 10 crowds in club history at Audi Field in the first half of the season and expect these strong numbers to continue,' Ben Kessler, the director of communications, told me in an email. While their data on August is mixed, with some seasons seeing high attendance and others being low, the club still feels confident that midseason promotions will have very good attendance. Up in New York, Gotham FC, whose stars were in the spotlight this summer, is investing heavily in its home opener against the Spirit. Due to high ticket demand, for the Aug. 9 match, Gotham is opening the upper bowl at Sports Illustrated Stadium and launching a full slate of promotions, including a postgame autograph session and targeted ticket discounts tied to players' Euros performances. To literally bring fans to the stadium, the club is also piloting the GFC Express bus service, a round trip service from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Jersey City that fans can purchase (It certainly will impact my game day decision to go to Harrison if I don't have to suffer NJ Transit's unreliable summer weekend schedules.) With only a handful of home games left in the calendar, Gotham said in an email that they plan to dedicate the most time, budget, and special programming to boost attendance and engagement for their biggest games, including their Sept. 7 game against Angel City FC, one of the most important home games of the season against their West Coast rivals. Advertisement West Coast powerhouses Bay FC and Angel City FC, two teams that typically don't struggle to fill their stands, have also been proactive in ensuring they maintain their momentum. Bay FC has decided to move its Aug. 23 home game against the Washington Spirit to Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in an attempt to set a new NWSL single-game attendance record. This move follows in the footsteps of the Chicago Red Stars, who relocated their match against Bay FC to Wrigley Field and set the current record with 35,008 attendees. For context, Bay FC averaged 13,617 fans per game during their inaugural 2024 season. While some teams are focused on breaking attendance records, others are working twice as hard: not only to bring fans back to the stadium but also to keep them engaged during the grueling summer months. Convincing people to sit in a stadium in 90+ degree heat is a tough ask. Afternoon games can feel brutal, and some days, even evening matches don't offer much relief. That's why clubs like the North Carolina Courage and Orlando Pride, two of the league's hottest markets — in attendance and meteorologically — are embracing the heat. The Courage's 'Courageously Cool Summer' initiative aims to keep fans comfortable during the sweltering July and August matchdays at First Horizon Stadium. In addition to perks like $25 in 'Courage Cash' in-stadium credits with ticket purchases and custom cooler giveaways, my personal favorites are shaded misting stations and hydration-friendly policies with refill stations throughout the venue, great ideas FIFA should have thought about for the Club World Cup. The club said fans can also shop for heat-beating merchandise like cooling towels and portable fans, available in the stadium. 'This is a continuation of our 2025 mantra to meet our fans where they are,' Ralph Vuono, the COO of Courage, told me via email. 'Our club has historically experienced a dip in attendance during the summer months, and the heat has been a common reason cited in feedback from fans. This year, we are leaning into the situation and tackling the heat head-on, inviting our fans to join us.' Despite the August dip, the club's engagement strategy with fans has been successful this season: Through the first six home matches of the season, four have hit the top-5 best-attended in club history, and NCC saw its first-ever spring sellout on May 10 match against Orlando Pride, which ended with a 1-1 draw. Vuono said the club's total attendance this season is 50,066 and the average regular-season attendance is 7,578. 'Last season, we set a new club record for full-season attendance, and we are well on our way to surpassing that number in 2025,' he said. In Orlando, the Pride did not wait for August and bet on keeping fans engaged throughout July with soccer clinics for girls aged 5-18 led by the club's youth development coaches, and water park activities that came with a bonus ticket to the Aug. 3 match versus Utah Royals FC. 'We're using this (July) window to host community events and to keep fans connected through appearances by in-market players,' Pedro Araujo, the CMO of Pride, told me over email. The club is also leveraging other soccer events in-market to keep local media engaged while building excitement for the Pride's return to play through longer paid-media campaign flights. Advertisement 'This momentum leads into a packed Q3, featuring fan-favorite events like our Florida Night theme night, an exclusive Barbra Banda bobblehead ticket package, and our first-ever Kids Night Teddy Bear Toss in partnership with Orlando Health Children's Hospital — all designed to deliver unforgettable experiences and deepen our connection with fans,' he said. The club saw a major surge in momentum following its NWSL Championship last year, including a 57 percent increase year-over-year in season ticket memberships, a 20 percent rise in attendance and a 29 percent bump in sponsorship. It also became the most-followed team in the NWSL with 1 million followers across all social media channels. A recent study analyzing all 167 regular-season NWSL games in 2023 found that themed events significantly boost attendance, increasing it by about nine percentage points, while traditional promotions like giveaways or discounted tickets had only a marginal impact. The research highlights that fans are more motivated by immersive, values-driven experiences than by material incentives. The study also found spikes in attendance following the Women's World Cup and when marquee players were on the visiting team, suggesting that momentum from international tournaments and star power play important roles. While themed events and big stars drive fans in, some clubs have to think deeper about August as they deal with weather-related disadvantages. A handful of teams, including Chicago and Houston Dash, not only need to bring fans back, but they also have to find clever ways to protect them from the wrath of summer's scorching days. August is the hottest month in Houston, with average highs of 95 degrees. In Chicago, typical daily highs hover around 80 degrees, with overnight lows near 67 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. With matches scheduled mostly at night, both teams aim to avoid looking at empty seats. Confident they will fill the seats against Orlando Pride, Chicago moved its Sept. 7 match to Northwestern's Ryan Field in Evanston. 'It's one of our marquee matches this season, along with our Soldier Field match,' Emmanuel Salazar, public relations manager at the Stars, explained. 'We really want to take advantage of being in a different venue, different location and using that to the best of our advantage to make a fun experience for all our fans that come out and as a good first impression for fans in Evanston giving our matches a try for the first time.' Houston, on the other hand, played most of their home matches in the first half of the season when the weather was more agreeable. But they still have several themed events lined up when the league resumes in August, slated as evening matches to avoid uncomfortable temperatures. For their first home game on Aug. 8, the team will celebrate Black excellence. In September, they'll host a Latin Night for their match against Chicago, followed by Space City Night for their October matchup against Orlando. The season will wrap up with Fan Appreciation Night on Oct. 18 against Kansas City. Advertisement One of the teams that openly admits filling the seats has been difficult due to the weather is Racing Louisville. The club said the attendance is down year-over-year, averaging 4,731, with their home opener and a game in May both postponed due to storms. Also, what would have been a potential record crowd in April for a game against the popular, star-laden Washington Spirit coincided with the 'Thunder Over Louisville' air and fireworks shows, which drew 11,000+ for the year prior, fell flat because historic flooding in Louisville led to Thunder's cancellation. Over the break, the club won the Women's Cup in Brazil and is hoping to make it to the playoffs this year. As they return to play, they won't only promote a new theme, Down the Stretch Night, an homage to the club's name and its connection to horse racing, they are also running a supporter section flash sale for $5.02 tickets (Louisville's area code is 502) for the initial game back, against first-place Kansas City on Friday. Talking about Kansas City, that's one NWSL team that, no matter what day of the year or how the weather is, they seem to fill seats. 'Our fans have shown up in incredible ways the past two seasons at CPKC Stadium,' Jocelyn Monroe, the Current VP of marketing, said. 'Selling out every regular-season home match since opening in 2024 is a powerful reflection of that momentum.' During the midseason break, the club hosts the four-team Teal Rising Cup tournament and third-party events like women's rugby. 'This success allows us to widen the aperture of our marketing, elevate the Kansas City Current story beyond the pitch and invest in long-term fan engagement,' Monroe said. Kansas City may be the exception; most clubs can't count on sellout crowds regardless of the calendar. Most teams don't own their stadiums or share with the MLS teams, so creative programming is not an option for maintaining visibility during lulls in league play. But at the end of the day, it's not just about filling seats, it's about staying relevant year-round. One thing is for sure: Until the NWSL aligns its calendar with the European season, which runs from fall to summer, the midseason pause will continue to disrupt momentum. Solving that won't happen overnight, but in the meantime, clubs hustle hard and treat every August like a relaunch.
Kuwait Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Kuwait Times
Tinubu receives Nigerian women's team after Africa Cup victory
'All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of the spectacular win' ABUJA: The Nigerian women's national football team touched down in the capital Monday for an audience with the president, fresh off their weekend Africa Cup championship victory over Morocco. The Super Falcons, winners of Saturday's Women's Africa Cup of Nations final, were greeted on the tarmac at Abuja's international airport by traditional dancers, drummers and a swarm of journalists and government officials. They then departed in a convoy escorted by security to meet with President Bola Tinubu. The women brought with them their 10th WAFCON trophy, the culmination of years of dominance at the continent level despite struggles at home over late payments and pay disparities with the men's team. To grab the gold, the Super Falcons mounted a stunning comeback from a seemingly fatal 2-0 deficit, winning 3-2 over their WAFCON hosts in Rabat. Ahead of the match it was announced that Tinubu had personally approved players' tournament bonus payments. The seemingly routine measure has in the past been anything but, with the Super Falcons butting heads with the Nigeria Football Federation over unpaid bonuses after their 2023 Women's World Cup run. Fans in recent years have also called for the team to be paid the same as the men's team, the Super Eagles. At the presidential villa, Tinubu announced that players would be given a three bedroom apartment as well as a $100,000 cash bonus. 'We could not be prouder,' the president said, adding that he 'didn't want to watch the match' at one point because of the stress. Problems 'drowned' by victory For many fans, however, the team got its proper roses with Saturday's trophy, which also served as a temporary relief from the country's many crises, from jihadist insurgency to spiralling inflation. Muhammad Awwal, a taxi driver in Kano, told AFP over the weekend that the women helped Nigerians 'momentarily forget our common problems'. 'All our problems were drowned in the frenzy of celebration of the spectacular win,' he said. Despite the challenges, the team has made an appearance in every women's World Cup since the tournament debuted in 1991. 'Nigeria is the best country, with the best women's national football team,' said Paul Edeh, chairman of the Benue State Football Association, who was at the airport to greet the team Monday. 'What these girls have been able to achieve... the kind of trophies they've brought to us, we've not seen that with the male team,' he told AFP. While watch parties erupted in cheers across the country Saturday evening, the overall reaction in the country of some 220 million was relatively muted. Most of the crowd greeting the players as they touched down were airport workers, government officials and journalists. Though the government promised 'the streets of Abuja' would 'be agog' during a citywide parade, ultimately plans were pared back. — AFP
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Banyana Banyana make low-key return to SA after WAFCON exit
JOHANNESBURG - The Banyana Banyana squad made a low-key return to the country following their disappointing showing at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. There were no adoring supporters or any of the fanfare normally associated with South African teams returning home from competing on the global stage. Only a handful of friends and family were present to welcome the players home on Monday night and were outnumbered by the media contingent that was at OR Tambo International Airport for the team's arrival. Banyana went to the tournament as the reigning champions but finished in fourth place after a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Nigeria in the semi-finals and a penalty shootout defeat against Ghana in the bronze medal match. While the players were visibly flat and despondent and made a quick exit from the arrivals terminal, Banyana coach, Desiree Ellis, faced questions from journalists about their campaign as well as her future with the national team. Ellis has been the subject of speculation since reports emerged before the tournament started that she had been working without a contract from SAFA for close to two years. There have been reports that Ellis would leave her position after WAFCON as well. She declined to comment on her current situation and what the next step for her would be. "I'm not going to comment. I've been taken out of context on numerous occasions and I think it's best I don't comment on that. Already, all over the media, what people are writing is not true. Certain things are not true. When people write, they must get the facts right, first of all. They write the wrong things. I'm not going to say anything, I'm saying 'No comment' purely because I don't want to be misquoted, because I've been badly misquoted during this tournament," said Ellis. Ellis did seem to indicate, however, that she did have her thoughts on the next tournament, which is the 2026 Women's AFCON, which will also be staged in Morocco. She said the first priority must be the qualifiers against DR Congo in October.
CAF
a day ago
- Sport
- CAF
CAF names WAFCON 2024 Best XI
Published: Tuesday, 29 July 2025 Nigeria's dominance at the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2024 has been further underlined after four of their players were named in the tournament's official Best XI, as selected by CAF's Technical Study Group (TSG). The 11-player team, arranged in a 4-3-3 formation, features standout performers from across the continent following a fiercely competitive edition of the tournament co-hosted by Morocco and Ghana. Nigeria, who defeated hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final on Saturday night to clinch their tenth WAFCON crown, contributed the highest number of players to the elite line-up. Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Ndozie earned her place between the sticks following a series of commanding displays, while dynamic full-back Michelle Alozie, influential forward Esther Okoronkwo, and tournament top scorer Rasheedat Ajibade also made the cut. Joining them is Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak, whose creative influence helped guide the hosts to a second consecutive final. Fellow Moroccan and top striker Ibtissam Jraidi also featured prominently in the line-up. Ghana's Portia Boakye and Grace Asantewaa were rewarded for their leadership and consistency despite the Black Queens falling just short of the final, while South Africa's Karabo Dlamini, Refiloe Jane and Bambanani Mbane were also included after leading Banyana Banyana to a semi-final finish. The CAF Technical Study Group named Nigeria's Justin Madugu as the tournament's Coach of the Tournament following his team's successful title run. A strong list of substitutes was also released, including Zambia's Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, Senegal's Nguenar Ndiaye, Algeria's Chloe Yamina N'Gazi, and Nigeria's Osinachi Ohale and Jennifer Echegini. The 2024 tournament saw a rise in attacking play, with 66 goals scored across 26 matches—an average of 2.54 goals per game, an improvement from the 2.25 average in 2022. The 4-3-3 formation emerged as the most used tactical shape throughout the tournament. CAF's WAFCON 2024 Best XI (4-3-3 formation): Goalkeeper : Chiamaka Ndozie (Nigeria) Defenders : Michelle Alozie (Nigeria), Bambanani Mbane (South Africa), Portia Boakye (Ghana), Karabo Dlamini (South Africa) Midfielders : Ghizlane Chebbak (Morocco), Refiloe Jane (South Africa), Grace Asantewaa (Ghana) Forwards: Esther Okoronkwo (Nigeria), Ibtissam Jraidi (Morocco), Rasheedat Ajibade (Nigeria) Coach of the Tournament: Justin Madugu (Nigeria) Substitutes: Chloe Yamina N'Gazi (Algeria) Osinachi Ohale (Nigeria) Hanane Ait El Haj (Morocco) Jennifer Echegini (Nigeria) Saana Mssoudy (Morocco) Barbra Banda (Zambia) Racheal Kundananji (Zambia) Nguenar Ndiaye (Senegal) Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah (Ghana)
