The Black Queens will begin their quest to qualify for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) against Rwanda.
The revelation of their initial opponents in a two-round qualifying series occurred during a live draw held at the Mohamed VI Complex in Rabat on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
The Black Queens will embark on a journey to confront the ‘She Amavubi’ at the Kigali Pelé Stadium in the opening leg on September 20, followed by hosting the return leg six days later.
Ghana will aim to secure a return to the 12-team continental showcase, having missed out on the last edition in 2022.
The reigning champions of that edition, South Africa, and the third-place finishers, Zambia, have been granted exemptions from the first round of qualifiers.
Morocco, set to host the Women’s Afcon for the second consecutive time, will also bypass the qualifiers.
The first-round fixtures are as follows:
- Senegal vs Mozambique
- Egypt vs South Sudan
- Central African Republic vs Mali
- Guinea vs Mauritius
- Nigeria vs São Tomé and Príncipe
- Cape Verde vs Liberia
- Uganda vs Algeria
- Burundi vs Ethiopia
- Equatorial Guinea vs Libya
- DR Congo vs Benin
- Ivory Coast vs Tanzania
- Djibouti vs Togo
- Rwanda vs Ghana
- Gambia vs Namibia
- Cameroon vs Kenya
- Gabon vs Botswana
- Tunisia vs Niger
- Guinea-Bissau vs Congo
- Angola vs Sudan
- Eswatini vs Burkina Faso
Should coach Nora Häuptle’s Queens successfully navigate past Rwanda, they will advance to the second round and face the winner of the Gambia-Namibia tie for a chance to secure a spot in the 15th edition of the Women’s Afcon. The second round ties will be cleared on dates between November 27 and December 5, 2023.
