Ten African players to watch from WAFCON 2024

The Cutback highlights some of the exciting talent to emerge from Morocco

The 15th edition of the WAFCON concluded with a dream final between the powerhouses of the continental game - Nigeria and the new-money of Morocco. Both sides had squads packed full of familiar names and average ages above 25 which speaks to the importance of experience.

However, the joy of these events is also in unearthing the raw diamonds. The Cutback has picked 10 players to watch from WAFCON as the game grows on the continent.

Morocco: Yasmin Mrabet

The hosts’ captain Ghizlane Chebbak steals the headlines but she leads a group of talented players including Spain-based centre back Yasmin Mrabet. A versatile presence in midfield, Mrabet had the best passing accuracy of the first two matches - 90.6% against Zambia and 93.7% against Senegal - against whom she also scored Morocco’s fourth goal. Mrabet combines defensive skills with innovation upfront, and the two penalties she dispatched during the tournament show she also has the calmness and composure required for international football.

Nigeria: Esther Okoronkwo

Toronto forward Esther Okoronkwo has shown intent throughout the tournament and stood out for assists. She was player of the match in Nigeria’s opener against Tunisia, where they flexed their muscles with a 3-0 win, then provided the ball to Osinachi Ohale that opened the scoring goal in the quarter-final against Zambia. Okoronkwo scored the second goal herself and then provided another assist from a free kick. Before the final, her three assists were the most in the competition. She has not played for Nigeria as much as she may have liked, with an injury in 2022 and spent much of the 2023 World Cup on the bench, but WAFCON 2024 has announced her as both dependable and exciting.

South Africa: Ronnel Donelly

Ronnel Donnelly was the leading goal scorer in South Africa’s university football competition last year and was picked for her first international outing at this WAFCON. Her performances showed she is ready for the big stage.

She made her debut coming off the bench in South Africa’s opener against Ghana and played 26 minutes across the three group stage matches and scored in the third. Donnelly netted in the 79th minute against Mali, as South Africa completed a 4-0 rout, with a strong right-footed shot from inside the box. She has a height advantage but also brings an element of pace to the South African side, and has learnt from one of the best in the now-retired Jermaine Seoposenwe, who she was often seen training with. She unfortunately injured her foot ahead of the quarter-final against Senegal, but is one to watch for the future.

Ghana: Evelyn Badu

The story of the tournament was Ghana, who finished with a bronze medal, and earned the praise of all their opposition, many of whom have tipped them as future champions. Among their talented crop is Evelyn Badu, who scored a goal in their 4-1 win over Tanzania and the winning penalty in the quarter-final shootout against Algeria. She was unsuccessful from the spot against Morocco in the semi-final but throughout the tournament showed bravery in the box and a natural instinct for goal scoring. Badu had chances in every match, most notably when a shot hit the crossbar in the third-place playoff against South Africa, which could have put Ghana ahead. Alongside Alice Kusi and Comfort Yeboah, Ghana have a trio that will form the core of their future frontline.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Merveille Kanjinga

One way to get noticed is by spoiling the hosts’ party and 22-year old DRC striker Merveille Kanjinga nearly did that when she opened the scoring against them in their second group match. In the sixth minute, Kanjinga received a through ball from Naomie Kabakaba and produced a strong finish to put the DRC ahead. Morocco won a see-saw contest 4-2 but Kanjinga showed what she can do, especially if a defence is caught napping. She didn’t score again in the tournament but had a shot on target against Zambia. Kanjinga has enjoyed a rapid rise over the last year. After winning the CAF Champions League with TP Mazembe, in Morocco, she signed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain and has fast become a symbol of hope for a nation of dreamers.

Senegal: Aïssatou Fall

At 17 years old and over six feet tall, Aissatou Fall is an impressive and intimidating defender who forms part of a powerful Senegalese backline. After qualifying for the knockouts, they put in their most impressive performance against South Africa in the quarter-final, where they held back the defending champions for 120 minutes and forced them to penalties. Fall won all her tackles and duels against South Africa and made four crucial clearances to deny the title-holders a clear shot at goal. Senegal’s coach Mame Moussa Cisse gave her his full backing in a media engagement before the tournament and it seems to be paying off. “We are preparing her; she is a player with qualities. At her age, she will make mistakes, but we need to allow her to grow,” he said.

Botswana: Sedilame Boseja

Although they did not progress out of the group stage, Botswana gave a solid account of themselves at this tournament and proved difficult to score against. Their goalkeeper, Sedilame Boseja, was their standout. According to the official statistics, she made six saves against Algeria, three against Nigeria and four against Tunisia though it felt like far more. Against Nigeria she was particularly impressive and her smothering of a close-range shot from Asisat Oshoala almost snatched Botswana a point. Nigeria finally breached her in the 89th minute to claim a close win. Boseja was singled out by the CAF’s technical study group, who were tasked with analysing trends at this tournament. Clementine Touré, the 2008 WAFCON-winning coach with Equatorial Guinea, called Boseja a “quality,” goalkeeper in an address to the media ahead of the final.

Tanzania: Opah Clement

After missing Tanzania’s opening match of the tournament against Mali because she was suspended, striker Opah Clement made her WAFCON debut against South Africa and immediately proved her worth. In the 24th minute, her header from an Esther Marwa free kick beat Kaylin Swart to give Tanzania the lead against the defending champions. Clement’s speed on the ball had South Africa’s usually solid defence scrambling. Tanzania were outplayed in their final group match against Mali but Clement was threatening in that game too and the Mexican-based forward appears to have a bright future ahead of her.

Mali: Fatou Dembele

One of Mali’s most impressive talents was right-back Fatou Dembele. She is a former basketball player, whose presence on the field is imposing and whose physicality makes her a tough competitor. She kept opposition attacks at bay with nine clearances against Ghana and five against Tanzania, where she also won all nine of her duels. The statistics will not look back kindly on Mali’s result against South Africa but in a game where they conceded four goals, she denied the opposition several times. She also had a good quarter-final against Morocco, where she was Mali’s most successful defender, winning nine out of six duels.

Zambia: Mercy Chipasula

It’s difficult to mention Zambia without talking about their two NWSL stars, Barbra Banda and Rachel Kundananji, especially since they were the only two players from their team to get on the scoresheet in this tournament. But Zambia are more than the big names and 17-year-old Mercy Chipasula, who debuted earlier this year in a friendly against Malawi, is a prodigy. She played 70 minutes of their final group game against DRC and had a passing accuracy of 83.3%, which was the highest percentage among the Zambian midfielders in that game. She had just 27 minutes in the quarter-final against Nigeria but her precision and maturity bode well for Zambia’s future.

*All statistics from Confederation of African of Football