The draw of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has placed hosts Morocco in Group A alongside Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Senegal.
The draw ceremony took place in Rabat on Friday, where the competing teams discovered their opponents for this year’s WAFCON.
Morocco will host this year’s edition of Africa’s most prestigious football competition from July 2 to 23 as the 12 qualifying teams will lock horns to earn the title.
The draw put Atlas Lionesses, currently the eighth best in Africa in the same pool with Senegal (ranked 11th in Africa), Burkina Faso (Africa’s 23rd best team), and Uganda (ranked 31st in the African continent).
Most observers see the draw to be relatively in favor of the Moroccan squad, giving them an unprecedented opportunity to move to the next round for the first time in their history.
Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses’ games against Burkina Faso and Uganda are widely expected to be the most playable games for the Moroccan squad.
The team’s toughest game is expected to be against Senegal, currently participating in the WAFCON for the third time in their history.
Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses are determined to build on their past friendly match against Teranga Lionesses when the Moroccan squad defeated Senegal with a 2-0 win.
Reacting to the draw, Senegal coach Mame Moussa Cisse said that Teranga Lionesses are set to be equal rivals to the Moroccan national team, one of the title favorites.
“It will be necessary to raise the level of play to be up to the ambitions. The host country of the competition is a country which has real ambitions to excel,” he told CAFOnline.com.
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With its third participation in Africa’s most prestigious competition, the Moroccan national team is determined to put behind its disappointing participation in past tournaments and move to the knockout stages for the first time.
Morocco’s football team’s opening game will be against Burkina Faso on July 2 at 9:30 p.m. (GMT) at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
The Atlas Lionesses’ second game will see Morocco face Uganda on July 5 at 9 p.m. (GMT) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, while their third match against Senegal is scheduled to take place on July 8 at 9 p.m. (GMT) at the same venue.
Here is the full WAFCON draw:
Group A: Morocco, Burkina Faso, Uganda, and Senegal.
Group B: Cameroon, Zambia, Tunisia, and Togo.
Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Burundi, and Botswana.
