The huge gulf between women’s and men’s football in Egypt – the most populous country in north Africa and the wider Arab world – can be measured by their sharply contrasting fortunes at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) – the continent’s top two national team tournaments.
While Egypt’s Pharaohs, record winners of the Afcon will be seeking an unprecedented eighth title in Ivory Coast in January, their female counterparts, the Cleopatras, managed by Mohamed Kamala and captained by Maha Al-Demerdash, failed to qualify for Morocco 2024, losing 4-0 on aggregate to Senegal in the final round of qualifying last week.
