When the final round of qualifiers for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) concluded in December, the 12 qualified teams presumed the tournament would take place in Morocco at some point this year. But they will now have to wait an unprecedented 19 months – until 5-26 July 2025 – before it is staged in order to avoid a clash with this summer’s Olympics.
“It is a ridiculous situation,” said an official of the Nigeria Football Federation, one of the participating teams, when speaking to the Guardian. “Where has it happened, in any confederation, anywhere in the world, for there to be a one-and-a-half-year gap between the end of a qualifying series and the main tournament? How does a coach maintain team momentum and keep the same players for the tournament?
