By Harry Awurumibe in Cairo, Egypt
For the second time in a row Nigeria and South Africa will open their campaign in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2022 as the Super Falcons face tricky Banyana Banyana on July 4 at Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
The Nine-time African Champions will tackle minors Botswana three days later before wrapping up the group phase with a clash against debutants, Burundi on July 10.
The Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) had at the weekend released the TotalEnergies WAFCON official match schedule following the successful WAFCON draw in Rabat, the Moroccan capital conducted by Samson Adamu, CAF Director of Competitions.
According to the official match schedule, the first match of the tournament will be played on Saturday, July 2, 2022 at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, Rabat between hosts Morocco and Burkina Faso at 21h30 local time (21h30 GMT).
Meanwhile, Super Falcons Head Coach Randy Waldrum has said that his team’s first priority is to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand just as he added that their goal is also to win the WAFCON in Morocco.
The United States-born gaffer who was reacting to the draw which pitched Nigeria with old rivals South Africa, Botswana and Burundi in Group C, has said that his team must have success in the group stage to be able to go far in the tournament.
Said he: “The first priority is obviously to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. That has always been the objective for us”.
“This means we must have success in the group stage. We always want and expect to win whenever we step on the field, so our goal also will be to in the women’s AFCON.”
Nigeria has in the recent years, won the a third WAFCON in a row and record ninth title in Ghana 2018 excluding the 1991 and 1995 victories when CAF had not introduced the continental women’s football tournament which was named African Women Championship (AWC) and later AWCON and now WAFCON.
Nigeria had only faltered on two occasions when Equatorial Guinea hosted and won twice in 2008 and 2012 respectively.
