WAFCON: Morocco and Ghana face off with dreams of first title on the line

Hosts take on talented challengers in Rabat

Credit: Getty Images

The 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final will include one team seeking to lift the trophy for the very first time. While the winner of the semi-final between record champions Nigeria and current holders South Africa will likely be the favourites on Saturday, either Morocco or Ghana will get a shot at creating history.

Before that, of course, the Atlas Lionesses and Black Queens will face off in what promises to be an intriguing semi-final on Tuesday night in Rabat.

Home advantage balanced by weight of expectations for Morocco

Just as they have been in the other games at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, the stands are expected to be packed for this semi-final. While a contingent of Ghanaian fans have been making themselves heard with their music at the Black Queens’ matches, they are sure to be overshadowed by the vast swathes of Moroccan faithful.

It is worth noting that the last WAFCON, also held in Morocco, saw around 60,000 fans crammed into the Stade Moulay Abdellah to watch the final stages of the Atlas Lionesses’ surprise title bid. Like many major venues around the country, it is currently undergoing renovation ahead of the men’s AFCON this December, with one eye on the 2030 World Cup as well. As a result, the nearby 21,000-seater Olympic Stadium is hosting the big games this time around, with renovation work looming in its backdrop.

Despite the limited attendance figure, the crowd is sure to create an electric atmosphere on the night. The big difference this time, though, is that they will very much be expecting a win.

Morocco are the clear favourites in this match, and therefore will have to deal with what is a relatively new weight of expectation for them. Having seen them reach the final last time around, fans in and around the stadium await nothing less than a repeat of that at the very least.

Morocco’s representatives in the pre-match press conference were both asked about how they were dealing with this pressure. Head coach Jorge Vilda applied a positive spin to it, saying, “We try to turn this pressure into a source of ambition and determination.” Striker Ibtissam Jraïdi echoed his words, stating that her team try to utilise this pressure and make it a source of inspiration and strength.

The quarter-final against Mali went quite smoothly thanks to an early goal, but if this semi-final is a more tense affair, it will be very interesting to see what role the crowd can play.

Youthful Ghana looking to return to the big stage

Of the 12 contestants of the 2024 WAFCON, Ghana are the only team to have reached multiple finals in the past without having lifted the title. That was all a while ago, as the Black Queens’ heyday came between 1998 and 2006 when they reached the semi-finals of the first five editions of the tournament and finished as runners-up to Nigeria no less than three times. Since then, this is just the second time they have made it past the group stage, having not even managed to qualify for the tournament last time around.

However, their fans now have good reason to hope that this knockout run will mark the beginning of a new dawn. Ghana have one of the youngest squads at this WAFCON with an average age of just over 24, and yet they have been able to call on players based in 12 different countries. Among those flying in from abroad are some real gems such as 24-year-old midfielder Grace Asantewaa and 21-year-old Bay FC winger Princess Marfo, who has certainly caught the eye when on the field in Morocco.

New Black Queens head coach Kim Björkegren has spoken very highly of his side’s potential, suggesting that they have the talent to seriously compete at the worldwide stage with the right application. Reaching the final of his first major tournament in charge would be some way to back that up.

Intriguing tactical matchup

As two well-regarded tacticians come up against each other, this match should make for interesting viewing from an analytical perspective.

Ghana have looked rather unimpressive for long periods in most of their matches at this WAFCON, but they have definitely shown some potential of dealing damage in transition. As long as they can keep things tight at the back, they may well be able to create a few opportunities after drawing Morocco out.

The hosts’ challenge will be to find the right balance between showing good attacking impetus and being cautious enough to not let the back line get exposed. Despite taking an early lead against Mali, Morocco did allow the game to open up at times in the first period before improving significantly following some half-time changes. Once again, their start could well prove crucial.

The two coaches have faced off previously at the club level, so that should add another layer of intrigue to this contest. Ghana coach Kim Björkegren suggested that he was relishing the challenge, saying, “That's actually the most fun part as a coach — when you coach against another coach that really is thinking football, and you can see that he tries to do things and challenge you — I love that part.”

Whichever way you look at it, we should be in for a cracking contest on Tuesday night in Rabat.