Tournament feature
WAFCON 2024
She Kicks, issue 91, September 2025 pp.80–85
Neel Shelat’s full recap of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, delayed to July 2025 and staged in Morocco, where stadium renovations for the rescheduled men’s tournament confined the hosts to Rabat’s 21,000-seat Olympic Stadium. Morocco opened with a 2-2 draw against Zambia, Barbra Banda striking almost from the whistle before captain Ghizlane Chebbak rescued a point. The piece is unsparing about the backdrop: CAF’s unusual carrying of qualifier suspensions into the finals cost DR Congo and Ghana key players, Nigeria arrived with Randy Waldrum gone, unpaid wages unresolved and Justin Madugu in interim charge, and South Africa boycotted a training session over pay. Chebbak’s hat-trick saw off DR Congo, Algeria went out on penalties as the only side not to concede all tournament, and in the final Nigeria recovered to beat the hosts 3-2 for a tenth title, with Esther Okoronkwo the unlikely driving force.