Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024: Why is it held in 2025, participants, stadiums, and main favorites

From July 5 to 24, Morocco will host the 15th edition of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024. The Dailysports team has gathered all the essential information you need about this tournament.

Who is participating and what is the format?

The tournament features 12 national teams: host nation Morocco and 11 countries that advanced through the qualifiers. They are divided into three groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group progress to the knockout stage, joined by the two best third-placed teams.

After the group stage, the competition continues with a standard knockout format, including a third-place playoff.

• Group A: Morocco, Zambia, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Group B: Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria, Botswana
• Group C: South Africa, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania

Where will the matches take place?

The action will unfold across six stadiums: two in Casablanca (Larbi Zaouli and Père Jégo), one each in Rabat (Olympic Stadium), Mohammedia (El Bachir), Oujda (Stade d'Honneur), and Berkane (Municipal Stadium).

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Who are the main favorites to win?

Regardless of their form, you can never count out Nigeria, who have claimed the trophy in 11 of the 14 previous editions. The reigning champions, South Africa, are also among the top contenders.

Don’t overlook Morocco, who halted Nigeria’s run in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament. These three teams also rank highest in the FIFA rankings, and the list of favorites can be expanded to include Zambia and Ghana.

Why is it being held in 2025 when it’s called the 2024 tournament?

Indeed, the tournament was originally scheduled for 2024, but CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba explained in a BBC interview back in June that several teams are involved in the Olympic Games, which forced the competition to be postponed by a year.