WAFCON Quarter-Finals Preview

enters into the knockout stages on Wednesday after eight of the 12 teams progressed. Wednesday’s and Thursday’s four quarter-finals are arguably the most important matches of the tournament as the four winners will automatically book their spots at the 2023 FIFA World Cup.

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Wednesday

Zambia (13/103) v Senegal (11/89)

(FIFA Rankings Among CAF Nations/ Overall FIFA Rankings

The quarter-finals start with a clash between Group B winners Zambia and Group A runners-up Senegal. The latter are slighter higher ranked in the FIFA rankings (89 to 103) but lost their final group match to Group A winners and hosts Morocco 1-0. It was the only goal they conceded, while Zambia also only conceded once. However, they did thumb Togo 4-1 in their final Group B fixture and went unbeaten (two wins and one draw) through the group stages.

Morocco (8/77) v Botswana (29/152)

Similar to Banyana Banyana, hosts Morocco had a perfect group stage, winning three out of three matches, scoring five goals, and conceding just once. Their mettle was tested in the final match against Group A runners-up Senegal but they beat them 1-0. They enter their quarter-final against Botswana, who qualified as a third-placed team from Banyana’s group as favourites, sitting much higher in the FIFA rankings (77 to 152). However, Botswana have shown against South Africa how difficult they can make things for their opponents.

Thursday

Cameroon (2/54) v Nigeria (1/39)

Two heavy-weights of the African continent meet each other on Thursday as CAF’s second-highest ranked side Cameroon take on highest-ranked Nigeria. Cameroon went unbeaten through the group stages (one win and two draws), finishing runners-up in Group B, while Nigeria recovered from their opening defeat to Banyana and collected two wins. They have also scored the most goals in the tournament so far, with seven, while Cameroon only netted thrice but have also conceded only once.

South Africa (3/58) v Tunisia (6/72)

Banyana have cemented their status as one of the tournament favourites after collecting three wins in Group C, raising eyebrows with their opening win over defending champions Nigeria. Tunisia, meanwhile, only collected one win – an 4-1 over Togo in their opener – and two defeats. On paper, South Africa are the favourites for this tie, also sitting higher in the FIFA rankings (58 to 72).