Women's World Cup 2023: South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Zambia groups
Penguin Tazuni, the official mascot of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, dancing ahead of the finals draw, on October 22, 2022 in Auckland.
AP - Alan Lee
Text by: Nicolas Bamba Follow
4 mins
The draw for the final phase of the next Women's World Cup, scheduled for Australia and New Zealand (July 20 to August 20, 2023), took place in Auckland on Saturday October 22.
The four African selections already qualified, and the two who still hope to be there, know their opponents.
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The 9th FIFA Women's World Cup will be special.
For the first time, it will be co-organized by two nations, namely Australia and New Zealand.
For the first, it will bring together 32 nations during the final phase (compared to 12 in 1991 and 1995, 16 in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011, and 24 in 2015 and 2019).
Will there also be, for the first time, six African selections?
This question will be settled next February, with the end of the roadblocks.
In the meantime, the four nations of the African continent already qualified know what awaits them.
The group draw was held in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday 22 October.
South Africans, Moroccans, Nigerians and Zambians have their program.
Nigeria against one of the host countries
The Super Falcons, who will play their 9th World Cup (they have therefore never missed a final phase), are in group B, that of the Australians.
The Nigerians will open their Melbourne World Cup against Canada, the reigning Olympic champions.
Their third and final opponent will be the Republic of Ireland, novices in the World Cup.
Nigeria is the African team that has obtained the best result in a World Cup with a quarter-final loss in extra time against Brazil in 1999.
Schedule: Nigeria-Canada on July 21 (Melbourne), Australia-Nigeria on July 27 (Brisbane), Republic of Ireland-Nigeria on July 31 (Brisbane)
Zambia in the Japan group
The draw placed Zambia in group C. The She-polopolo, who will play their first World Cup, will face the Japanese, titled in 2011 (first non-American and non-European sacred nation), finalist in 2015 but only eighth-finalist in 2019. Spain and Costa Rica complete Group C.
Schedule: Zambia-Japan on July 22 (Hamilton), Spain-Zambia on July 26 (Auckland), Costa Rica-Zambia on July 31 (Hamilton)
Sweden on the road to South Africa
The Banyana Banyana of Desiree Ellis will, for their second World Cup, have a lot to do with a particular opponent in Group G: Sweden.
The Swedes remain in effect on a final lost at the last World Cup as well as on two finals lost at the Olympic Games.
A recent quack however: this slap received in the semi-final of the last Euro, last July, against England (0-4).
Italy and Argentina, selections of a lower caliber than Sweden, are also in group G.
Calendar: Sweden-South Africa on July 23 (Wellington), Argentina-South Africa on July 28 (Dunedin), South Africa-Italy on August 2 (Wellington)
Morocco with Germany
The Moroccans, who will also be playing their first World Cup, have fallen into a heterogeneous group H with the experienced Germany, South Korea and Colombia.
If the German selection will be favored in the predictions for first place, the Atlas Lionesses may have a shot in the quest for second place.
Calendar: Germany-Morocco on July 24 (Melbourne), South Korea-Morocco on July 30 (Adelaide), Morocco-Colombia on August 3 (Perth).
Senegal and Cameroon hope
We only know 29 of the 32 selections qualified for this World Cup.
There are 3 left to be determined, during the intercontinental play-offs, scheduled for February 18 to 23 in Hamilton and Auckland.
Two African teams will try to snatch their ticket for the World Cup.
The Cameroonians will first have to beat the Thais in the semi-finals of the play-offs, before challenging the Portuguese in the final.
The Senegalese, they will have to get rid of the Haitians in the semi-finals, then overthrow the Chileans in the final.
If Senegal emerge victorious from the play-offs, they will be placed in Group D with England, Denmark and China.
If Cameroon qualifies, it will find itself in Group E with the United States, defending champions, Vietnam and the Netherlands, vice-world champions.
The other groups
Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland
Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Dam (Taiwan, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea or Panama)
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Nigeria
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