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Nigeria favored in expanded Women's Africa Cup of Nations with World Cup berths and record prize money at stake
via SeneNews2 min read
Nigeria, the defending champions, are considered favorites for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which has expanded to 16 teams and begins on Sunday in Morocco. This edition offers unprecedented stakes: four direct qualification spots for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and a historic prize of two million dollars for the winner. Nigerian coach Justine Madugu stated that their absolute priority is to reach the semi-finals to secure direct World Cup qualification, with their second objective being to retain their title. He acknowledged the difficulty, as all teams aim to dethrone them. In the 2025 edition, the Super Falcons won the final 3-2 against Morocco, with Jennifer Echegini scoring the decisive goal. Echegini, a midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain, will participate in this biennial African women's football event, hosted by Morocco for the third consecutive time. Nigeria is in Group C, alongside Zambia, Egypt, and debutants Malawi. Since the tournament's inception in 1998, Nigeria has won ten times. Only Equatorial Guinea two titles, absent this year and South Africa one title have broken their dominance. South Africa, seeded in Group B, will face Tanzania, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso. Group A features Morocco, Senegal, Kenya, and Algeria, with the match between Morocco and Algeria on July 30 expected to be highly competitive due to regional geopolitical rivalries. Group D includes Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, and Cape Verde, who are making their first appearance in the final ph
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
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