The 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) officially begins today, July 5, 2025, as hosts Morocco face Zambia at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Kick-off is set for 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT), marking the start of Africa’s premier women’s football tournament.
Morocco will look to maintain the strong record hosts hold in WAFCON openers—winning 11 of 12 previous starts and keeping clean sheets in nine. The lone exception came in 2004 when South Africa lost 3–0.
Group-stage action runs from July 5 to July 13 across six venues in Rabat, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Oujda and Berkane. Highlights include Nigeria vs. Tunisia (July 6, Casablanca), and defending champions South Africa opening their campaign against Ghana (July 7, Oujda).
The top two teams from each group, plus the best four third-placed sides, advance to the quarter-finals, scheduled for July 18 and 19.
Winners will then contest the semi-finals on July 22, leading to the final on July 26 at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat—the same venue that hosted the opening match.
Hosts Morocco nearly reached the final in 2022, while Zambia finished third, underlining the competitive depth of Group A. Top teams like Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal are expected to challenge for the trophy across the tournament.
With high stakes and packed stadiums, this edition promises to be WAFCON’s most fiercely contested yet—and Morocco will hope to translate home advantage into continental glory.
