Nigeria facing Zambia as WAFCON resumes today with quarter-final fixtures

The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will resume after a five-day break with quarter-final matches lined up with a coveted place in the semi-finals at stake. The first fixture of the quarters will pit Nigeria against Zambia at Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca.

The fixture is set to bring the best players in women’s football, with Nigeria set to parade the likes of Asisat Oshoala, while the dynamic duo of Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji will lead the Copper Queens.

Heading into the fixture, Zambia players led by captain Banda have promised to defeat Nigeria insisting they don’t fear them. Looking ahead to the quarter-final against the Super Falcons, Banda remained calm and focused.

Zambia started off with a 2-2 draw against Morocco, recovered to beat Senegal 3-2 before edging out DR Congo. For Nigeria, they beat Tunisia 3-0 in the opener, beat Botswana 1-0 before drawing 0-0 against Algeria.

The other game, set for Friday, will see Morocco face Mali at Stade Olympique in Rabat. Led by their iconic captain Ghizlane Chebbak, the Atlas Lionesses will be aiming to rise to the occasion on home soil.

African champions South Africa will face Senegal in the last eight seeking to keep alive their hopes of retaining the WAFCON title. However, they will come up against Senegal, who advanced as one of the best third-placed teams.

In the final quarters match set for Tuesday, July 19th at Berkane Stadium in Berkane, Algeria, who have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the tournament will confront Ghana, one of the heavyweights of African women’s football.

The Black Queens struggled to reach this stage, managing one win from the three group matches, but according to Coach Kim Lars Bjorkegren they will continue to take it a game at a time in the tournament.

Historically, Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament since it became full-scale in 1998, winning nine of the 12 editions so far and making it to at least the semi-final in every tournament they have played.

Equatorial Guinea won as hosts of the 2008 and 2012 editions and South Africa are the current champions having won the latest 2022 edition to become the third African nation to ever win the tournament. Morocco, Ghana, and Cameroon are the only nations outside of the previous winners to have also made it to the tournament’s final.-flashscore