CAN 2022 Women: Cameroon-Botswana and Senegal-Tunisia to continue to believe in the World Cup
Cameroonian Gabrielle Onguene, Botswanan MokgaboThanda, Senegalese Edmée Siagne and Tunisian Mariem Houij, during CAN 2022. © Courtesy of CAF
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
3 mins
Cameroon-Botswana and Senegal-Tunisia will be the posters for the classification matches of the Women's African Cup of Nations (CAN 2022), on July 17 in Morocco.
The winners of these matches will compete in an international repechage tournament in February 2023 for the next World Cup.
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From our special correspondent in Casablanca,
This is a novelty: for the first time in the history of the African Cup of Nations football (men's and women's), the teams eliminated in the quarter-finals of the competition will play classification matches.
It is not a coquetry on the part of the Confederation of African Football (
CAF
) decreed on the occasion of this
CAN 2022 Women
.
This innovation is linked to the new format of the
Women's World Cup
, which goes from 24 to 32 participants.
As a result, Africa now has four guaranteed places in the final phase, compared to three in 2019 for example.
Thus, the CAN 2022 semi-finalists, South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Zambia, already have their ticket close to the next World Cup, scheduled for July 20 to August 20, 2023 in Australia and New -Zealand.
But that's not all: the International Football Federation (
Fifa
) has allocated two additional optional places to the continent.
There could therefore be up to six African teams in Oceania in a year.
But for that, it will therefore be necessary that the two winners of the Cameroon-Botswana and Senegal-Tunisia matches, scheduled for July 17 respectively in Rabat and Casablanca, then win in seven months, in New Zealand.
Three international repechage mini-tournaments will be organized there from February 18 to 23, with 10 countries
[1]
.
The winning selection in each of these three groups will play in the World Cup.
"Africa would have the right to more than six places in the World Cup"
However, we are not there yet.
And Cameroonians, Batswana, Senegalese and Tunisians, first had to digest the fact of having missed a direct qualification for the World Cup, via the quarter-finals of CAN 2022. “
It was difficult because it was a very important for Tunisian women's football
, said midfielder Chirine Lamti, at a press conference, after
a 1-0 loss to South Africa
.
In addition, I do not know if you saw the meeting but we were unlucky… And so we had to manage to move on, mentally.
We had to because we have this other opportunity, to go to the play-offs
”.
A long detour, potentially at the other end of the earth, that Mame Moussa Cissé assumes.
Even if the coach of the Senegalese regrets that FIFA has not allocated six direct places to Africa for the 2023 World
Cup
. hurry.
It was up to us to make this match
[
against Zambia, Editor's note]
to go to the World Cup.
We missed it.
It's up to us to rectify that to stay with the elite of football.
It will be difficult, because it will be another process.
[…] The girls still have it in their throats.
There is a feeling of incompleteness.
We will have to translate all this into positive waves on the ground
”.
Tunisia coach Samir Landolsi, who has still not digested a penalty not whistled for the Eagles against South Africa, is a little more disappointed by the representation of his continent in the World Cup.
“
Unfortunately, Fifa has not increased Africa's quota enough.
Given the now high level of African women's football, we would have the possibility of having six teams and even more.
When I look at the European Championship
[which takes place at the same time as CAN 2022, Ndlr]
, I see that Africa would be entitled to more than six places.
Eight African teams would be able to play the final phase of the World Cup.
Alas, Africa is still relegated to last place
".
It will therefore be necessary for the quarter-finalists to be content with this catch-up session.
CAN 2022 women: calendar, rankings and results
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