Banyana Banyana players during the 2022 Womens Africa Cup Of Nations training session at Complex Mohamed VI De Football, Rabat Banyana Banyana players during the 2022 Womens Africa Cup Of Nations training session at Complex Mohamed VI De Football, Rabat on 3 July 2022. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Johannesburg – The straight knockout phase of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) starts on Wednesday as hosts Morocco square off against Botswana at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The four quarter-final games promise to be intense as the teams that win each of them will not only reach the semi-finals of the competition, but also claim one of Africa’s four automatic places at the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.
ALSO READ: Five things we learnt from Banyana’s win over Botswana
Group A winners Morocco will be expected to convincingly beat Botswana who advanced to the quarter-finals by virtue of being one of the best third placed teams in the group stages. The Mares finished third in Group C behind South Africa and Nigeria.
In Wednesday’s other game, Zambia will face off against Senegal in Casablanca. This is one game in which there is no clear favourite and which promises to go down to the wire. While Zambia won Group B and Senegal finished as runners-up in Group A, the team’s performances in terms of stats in the group stage was similar.
There is a new admin in the house 😂#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | @Banyana_Banyana | #TeamSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/6FUSDQGBjG
— #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 (@CAFwomen) July 10, 2022
Banyana’s bid to win their first-ever continental title continues as they will play against Tunisia at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Thursday.
Desiree Ellis’ side may have not been clinical in their group stage games, but they have been in impressive form after having won all three of their games.
A super sub! 💫
— #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 (@CAFwomen) July 10, 2022
Nthabiseng Majiya was the hero for #TeamSouthAfrica against Botswana! 🦸♀️#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2022 | #EmpoweringOurGame | @Banyana_Banyana pic.twitter.com/kdLkw7VmJe
It may also be to the advantage of Banyana in a way that they did not exert themselves fully in the group stage games as they will now likely do exactly that in the straight knockout fixtures.
Ellis’ side will also be the firm favourites to beat Tunisia, who also only got to the knockout stage by virtue of being one of the best third place teams.
A win in this game will ensure Banyana a second consecutive World Cup qualification next year. Playing in the 2023 World Cup will also be a potential fitting career swansong for national team legends Noko Matlou and Janine Van Wyk who are now well into their 30s.
In Thursday’s other fixture, defending champions Nigeria square off against Cameroon. The Nigerians face a stiff test in this game, but have recovered well after losing their group stage opener against Banyana as they have since claimed convincing wins over Botswana and Burundi.
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