The knockout phase of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations gets under way on Friday with a tantalising clash between Nigeria and Zambia.
- The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations group stage has now concluded
- Nine-time champions Nigeria remain the overwhelming favourites
- Algeria and Senegal have defied the odds to reach the knockout phase
The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2025 started on 5 July and has produce thrills and spills aplenty during an enthralling group stage.
Eight teams are still in the race for the trophy as the competition now moves into the knockouts, which is sure to throw up some mouth-watering encounters. Beyond fighting for this title, each nation will be looking to build momentum towards the 2026 edition, which will be pivotal in deciding who qualifies for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™.
Surprise packages Algeria and Senegal shine
Farid Benstiti’s Algeria have been one of the surprise packages of this year’s edition, having reached the quarter-finals for the first time. There, they will come up against three-time finalists Ghana and look to cause an upset.
Senegal also booked their place in the last eight by finishing among the best third-placed teams. Defensively solid and resilient, the Lionesses of Teranga coasted to a 4-0 win over Congo DR in their opener before losing 3-2 to Zambia in a close-fought match. They then pushed Morocco all the way in their last group game, and while they lost 1-0, they squeaked ahead of Botswana in the third-place table. This Saturday, the Senegalese will fancy their chances of springing a surprise against defending champions South Africa.
A match fit for the final: Nigeria v Zambia
Two giants of African football will go head-to-head in the quarter-finals on Friday. Nigeria have reached at least the semi-finals at every edition of the WAFCON, but Zambia are still the last team to defeat Chiamaka Nnadozie and Co in this competition when they won out 1-0 in the third-place play-off in 2022.
The Super Falcons, a team renowned for their defensive solidity, will certainly have their work cut out against Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji, the two scorers of Zambia’s six goals so far. Spurred on by their two attacking stars, the Copper Queens have gone from strength to strength in recent years. After finishing third at the 2022 edition, they qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ for the first time in 2023 and while they failed to escape the groups, they left with their heads held high thanks to a historic 3-1 win over Costa Rica.
They also featured in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament 2024 alongside the Nigerians, and they certainly made their mark in France, with their most memorable encounter coming against Australia. In a spectacular match full of twists and turns, Zambia lost by the odd goal in 11 after the Matildas staged an incredible comeback in the second half.
Players to watch
Barbra Banda | Zambia
The iconic captain of the Copper Queens, Banda is continuing to make her mark on Zambian – and world – sporting history. She first came to the fore at the Tokyo 2020 – Zambia’s first Olympic campaign – scoring two consecutive hat-tricks against the Netherlands and China PR. To this day, no African player – in either the men’s or the women’s game – has scored more Olympic goals than Banda, while her three hat-tricks at the Games is also a record.
Another career highlight came at the Women’s World Cup in 2023 when she scored the 1,000th goal in the tournament’s history. In 2024, her exceptional season saw her named the NWSL Championship MVP, a first for an African player, while she also claimed a place in the prestigious FIFPRO Women’s World XI.
Asisat Oshoala | Nigeria
Bay Football Club star Oshoala is currently playing in her fifth Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Falcons, with whom she lifted three consecutive continental titles from 2014 to 2018. A veritable pillar of Nigerian football, Oshoala has also been crowned African Women’s Footballer of the Year six times, a record that speaks to her consistency at the highest level.
A hugely respected icon both on and off the pitch, Oshoala is inspiring a whole new generation of girls in Nigeria, who see her as living proof of the possibility of a long and exemplary career in football.
Ghizlane Chebbak | Morocco
Chebbak was a key figure in Morocco’s historic run to their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final in 2022, which they eventually lost 2-1 to South Africa. Three years on, at the age of 34, the Moroccan striker is still shining on the continental stage.
This time round, Chebbak has once again stood out with her eye for goal and her leadership from the front. She scored a crucial goal in the opening match against Zambia, helping Morocco secure a 2-2 draw against one of the tournament’s most attack-minded teams, before bagging a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Congo DR. Her performances earned her a well-deserved place in the best XI of the group stage, alongside Banda and Kundananji.
What they said…
“I am just really proud of the girls. I always believed that we would win this game and make it to the quarter-finals. I understand the impact of the result. It is the knockout stages, and we continue to take it one game at a time. Ghana missed out on the knockout stages the last time that they played at home [in 2018], but we have now made it past the group stage. The result is very important to us. We will take it all in now because the players deserve this. They showed that they can stay true to our style and win.” Kim Bjorkegren, Ghana coach
“It was a great match and a collective effort from all of us. The result was the outcome of teamwork. We will keep working because we want to play in the semi-final. Next time, we will try to score against Nigeria.” Roselene Khezami, Algeria defender
“This was our first time at the tournament. We came here with the sole goal of reaching the final, but we fell short. We did not fail because we leave here with so many lessons learnt. We feel that we represented our nation with honour. We gave everything. we scored two goals and gained a point against the defending champions South Africa. That’s something.” Opa Clement Tukumbuke, Tanzania forward
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