WAFCON Group B Preview: Nigeria lead the chase as underdogs eye upsets

The TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Morocco 2024 gets under way on Saturday as South Africa seek to defend the title they won in North Africa three years ago.

The 12 competing teams have been drawn into three groups each containing four sides, with the top two and the two best third-placed sides advancing to the quarterfinals.

SuperSport.com previews the chances of the four teams in Group B, which includes the perennial favourites Nigeria.

NIGERIA
- COACH: Justine Madugu (Nigeria)
- BEST FINISH: Winners (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018)

HISTORY AT WAFCON: Nigeria are record nine-time winners of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON, with their last title in the 2018 edition. They have dominated this competition over the years, winning 75 per cent of the previous finals staged. They were also African champions in 1991 and 1995 before the tournament officially became a continental finals.

KEY PLAYERS:

Asisat Oshoala: The veteran forward is a six-time winner of the CAF Women’s Footballer of the Year prize and a true legend of the African game. She has been hampered by injury in recent years, but on her day there is none better in the continental game.

Toni Payne: Born in the United States, Payne is a former junior international for that country but made her senior debut for Nigeria in 2021. She is a key player in the midfield and is coming off a strong season with English side Everton.

Ashleigh Plumptre: The experienced defender was born in England and a junior international for that country but turned her allegiances to Nigeria in 2022. She brings bags of experience of playing in England, the United States and most recently Saudi Arabia.

CHANCES: Nigeria are always among the favourites going into the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON and they will be smarting after giving up their title three years ago. They have more than enough quality in their team to be successful and will expect to regain the trophy.

TUNISIA
- COACH: Kamel Saada (Tunisia)
- BEST FINISH: Quarterfinals (2022)

HISTORY AT WAFCON: Tunisia will be making just a third ever appearance at the continental finals, but will hope to build on a quarterfinal showing in 2022. They exited in the group stage on debut in 2008, but reached the knockout rounds three years ago, where they lost 1-0 to eventual winners South Africa.

KEY PLAYERS:

Sana Guermazi: The midfielder was born in France and played junior international football for that country, but debuted for Tunisia in 2023. She turns out for Le Mans in the French league and at the age of 23, is one of the most promising players in Tunisian football.

Chirine Lamti: Lamti has been around for some time and is one of the more experienced players in the Tunisian squad. The midfielder was born in Denmark and has played in that country, Czech Republic, France and Italy.

Soulayma Jebrani: The goalkeeper will be a kay player as the last line of defence. She currently plays in the Saudi Arabia league with Al-Riyadh, having also previously played in Turkey. At 28, she is a good age for a keeper.

CHANCES: Tunisia suffered a set-back when they failed in the qualifiers for the next TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON in 2026, defeated 2-1 on aggregate by Kenya. They will want to make the most of this opportunity then and they will be a competitive side, but without the firepower to go all the way.

ALGERIA
- COACH: Farid Benstiti (France)
- BEST FINISH: Group Stages (2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)

HISTORY AT WAFCON: Algeria have qualified for five previous TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON finals but have yet to get past the group stages. They have played 15 games in all at the finals and won two, to go with a single draw and 13 defeats. Their last appearances was in 2018 when they lost all three games.

KEY PLAYERS:

Naïma Bouhani: The veteran forward is n ow 39 and has had an astonishing 23-year career with the national team, but remains an important player for the side with her experience and goal-scoring ability. This will surely be her last finals, she will want to make it count.

Chloé N'Gazi: The former France junior international has become the No 1 goalkeeper with Alegria. She turns out for Marseille and made her national team debut in 2021, having spent her entire career in the French league, including a spell with Paris St-Germain.

Amira Ould Braham: Braham was born in Algeria but is a former France junior international. The midfielder currently plays for Nantes in the French league and made her Algeria debut four years ago and has become a key part of the side.

CHANCES: Algeria are clearly a team on the up and have recent friendly wins over tricky Uganda (twice) and DR Congo, but did lose 3-0 to Senegal in a pre-TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON warm-up on Tuesday. They breezed past South Sudan 8-0 on aggregate in the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026 qualifiers in February, so have goals in the team. They should make the quarterfinals at least.

BOTSWANA
- COACH: Alex Malete (Botswana)
- BEST FINISH: Quarterfinals (2022)

HISTORY AT WAFCON: Botswana made the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON on debut in 2022 to show the rich potential of the side. They got out of a tough pool that also included South Africa and Nigeria, but narrowly lost 2-1 to host Morocco in the last-8. With a population of around 2.4-million, they are the smallest team in the 12-team finals but continue to punch above their weight.

KEY PLAYERS:

Sedilame Boseja: The goalkeeper has spent several seasons with Mamelodi Sundowns and although is often second-choice to Andile Dlamini, has great experience and featured in crucial games when the latter was not available. She is a very reliable last line of defence.

Lesego Radiakanyo: The forward plays for Double Action in Botswana and it has perhaps a surprise she has not signed for a club in a bigger league given her obvious talent. She is a creative player who can score goals and at the age of 25 still has plenty of development in her.

Refilwe Tholakele: The star of the show, the Mamelodi Sundowns forward is a class act and will be central to Botswana’s success. She is reaching her peak at the age of 29 and these finals will be a fantastic showcase for her quality.

CHANCES: Botswana were downed by DR Congo in the qualifiers for the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026 so already know they will not be at the next finals. They played friendlies with South Africa (2-3) and Zambia (1-1) in May and although they did not win, were competitive against two of the favourites for this title. That shows they will be no pushovers. They could make the knockout rounds again.