Cameroon, four-time finalists of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, will not play in next year’s tournament in Morocco after being eliminated by Kenya on Tuesday.
Cote d’Ivorie will also not be among the nations to play the tournament after they were also eliminated in the first round of qualifiers following the second leg matches.
The Indomitable Lionesses lost on penalties to Kenya while Cote d’Ivoire suffered a similar fate in their match against Tanzania.
Kenya 1-0 Cameroon (agg 1-1) Kenya win 4-3 on penalties
Goal: Shilwatso 75th
The WAFCON dream is over for the Indomitable Lionesses. Winner 1-0 in the first leg, Cameroon fell twice against Kenya. First in regulation time with Shilwatso’s goal, aided by an error from the Cameroonian goalkeeper, and then losing 4-3 in the fateful penalty shootout. For the first time since 1991, the Indomitable Lionesses will not participate in the final phase of the WAFCON.
Ethiopia 1-1 Burundi (agg 2-2) Burundi wins 5-3 on penalties
Goals: R. Asresahegn 19th / S. Niyonkuru 48th
The adventure continues for Burundi. After conceding the opening goal, the Swallows went looking for qualification for the next round with guts. More realistic and experienced, Gustave Niyonkuru’s players were more focused during the penalty shootout to advance.
Tanzania 2-0 Cote d’Ivoire (agg 2-2) Tanzania wins 5-3 on penalties
Goals: D. Minja 50th, O. Clement 52nd
A real bogeyman in women’s football on the continent, Cote d’Ivoire once again missed the chance to qualify for the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. After winning the first leg 2-0, the Elephantes fell to Tanzania.
Mauritius 0-3 Guinea (agg 11-0)
Goals: A. Camara 6th, M. Camara 33rd,38th
After thrashing the Mauritians 8-0 in the first leg, the Guineans finished the job with a 3-0 win in Port Louis.
Botswana 6-0 Gabon (agg 10-1)
Goals: L. Radiakanyo 6th, O. Gaonyadiwe 10th 30th, N. Baeletsi 40th, K. Dithebe 45+4, L. Gaofetoge 50th
After a 4-1 win in Franceville, Botswana won again against Gabon. A victory that allows the Zebras to face Kenya in the second round of qualifying.
Niger 1-5 Tunisia (agg 12-1)
Goals: A. Hamed 90th / S. Ellouzi 9th 49th, S. Mamay 15th, M. Houij 45+1, S. Zemzem 77th
Quarter-finalists of the last WAFCON, Tunisia continue on the road to Morocco 2024. The Carthage Eagles Ladies easily beat Niger.
Ghana 5-0 Rwanda (agg 12-0)
Goals: A. Kusi 22nd 26th 37th, E. Badu 42nd, S. Nyamekye 90+3
Another thrashing by the Black Queens. The Ghanaians left no chance for the Rwandans, after beating them 7-0 at home in the first leg.
Liberia 2-3 Cape Verde (agg 6-2)
Goals: P. Agbotsu 12th, H. Kpan 69th / E. Pereira 10th, A. Gomes 23rd, Kleydiana Borges 39th
The islanders narrowly avoided elimination but will be in the draw. In a fierce and intense match, Cape Verde beat Liberia 2-3. Trailing by 3 goals, the Liberians looked for an early breakthrough but left gaps for their opponents. Facing a faulty defence, Evy Pereira found the net. Agbotsu made up for this setback and leveled the match.Cape Verde improved their attacking moves with Gomes and Borges sending the West Africans into orbit. Kpan’s late goal did not change the fate of this game.
Benin 1-2 DR Congo (agg 4-2)
Goals: Y. Gnanmi 5th / M. Kanjinga 32nd 34th
The Democratic Republic of Congo advanced thanks to Merveille Kanjinga. With a saving brace, the Congolese player booked her team’s ticket to the second round.
Togo 6-0 Djibouti (agg 12-0)
Goals: S. Woedikou 4th 15th 40th, S. Koudjoukalo 31st 89th, Lucie Gantim 66th
In two games, Togo scored 13 goals against Djibouti without conceding. A well-deserved qualification for the Hawks ladies.
In other matches, Congo beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0 at the same time, Namibia defeated Gambia by the same score. These two winning teams will progress to the second round.
Meanwhile, Burkina Faso also qualified for the next stage of the competition by beating Eswatini 3-0, as did Egypt who beat South Sudan 4-0. Draw between Algeria and Uganda 1-1.
The second round matches
Mali-Guinea
Senegal-Egypt
Kenya-Botswana
Nigeria-Cape Verde
Angola-Zambia
Ghana-Namibia
Burkina Faso-South Africa
Congo-Tunisia
Tanzania-Togo
Equatorial Guinea-DR Congo
Algeria-Burundi