Pre-WAFCON Friendlies Fallout: S/Africa, Morocco in free-scoring mood, ready for tournament 

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women Football Journalist

Three of the 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON)-bound teams, South Africa, Morocco, and Tanzania were in an imperious form during the just concluded FIFA international match window which ran from May 26 to June 3, 2025, as Banyana Banyana and Atlas Lionesses recorded high goal returns in their games more than the nine other teams that played friendly matches during the period under review.

Prompt News reports that South Africa’s two-match results have shown  that as the country prepares to defend her title in Morocco next month, Banyana Banyana’s performance sends a clear message that the team is ready to compete and dominate on the continental stage again.

The reigning African champions in a week recorded two victories after defeating Botswana 3-2 courtesy of Adrielle Mibe (12′), and Jermaine Seoposenwe (17′) and (36′) goals at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

Also, Banyana Banyana handed a 2-0 defeat to Zambia’s Copper Queens in the second match of the 3-Nation Series Mini-Tournament played on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the same venue with Bongeka Gamede and Jermaine Seoposenwe again scoring the two goals for South Africa to record five goals in two matches

while conceding two in as many matches.

C.F. Monterrey Femenil of  Mexico’s forward Jermaine was South Africa’s topscorer over the two games after three goals with a brace in the win against Botswana as her performances in the matches will obviously gladden the hearts of South African head coach Dr. Desiree Ellis ahead of the upcoming WAFCON in Morocco next month.

Recall Seoposenwe was also Nigeria’s nemesis as she scored the first of the two quick-fire goals, Hildah Magaia scored the second to help South Africa beat Nigeria’s Super Falcons 2-1 in the opening match of Group C in the last WAFCON in Morocco despite a late Rasheedat Ajibade consolation for the  nine-time African champions.

Elsewhere, 2024 WAFCON host,  Morocco was in the dominant mood also as the Atlas Lionesses hit Kenya 5-1 in the only international friendly match they played during the window as the Atlas Lionesses thrashed visiting Kenya senior women’s team, Harambee Starlets 5-1 in an apparent one-sided international friendly match played Wednesday evening at Stade du village sportif de Tanger, Tangier.

Tutored by Spanish-born coach Jorge Vilda, who led Spain’s women team to lift the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, he seems to have resolved the issues at the back which led to an improvement in the game against Kenya, particularly since their backline has lacked consistency, having conceded goals in each of their last three matches.

Determined not to falter again in the front of their home crowd in Tangier, the Moroccan coach tweaked his tactical approach to the game and his team went goals-crazy by scoring five   goals in the 10′, 53′, 68′, 74′ and 90+1′ respectively.

Although Morocco scored first in the 10′ but Kenya hit back in the 20′ to make the match look like a contest even as the visitors held on till the end of the first 45′ only to crumble like pack of cards in the second half of the encounter.

With this victory, Morocco has won her three last matches, drawing one and losing one to Cameroon in April to send warning signals to the 11 other countries, including Nigeria, participating in the upcoming WAFCON holding in the North African nation from July 5 to 26, 2025.

Another country that showed dominance over their opponents during the international friendlies is Tanzania, winner over two matches against DR Congo and scoring five goals and conceded two. Tanzania beat DR Congo 2-1 in the first match and 3-1 in the second game at Azam Complex Stadium in Dar es Salaam on May 30 and June 3, 2025, respectively

In contrast, rising powerhouse  Zambia can not be said to have had a good outing during the FIFA international match window especially in the 3-Nation Series Mini-Tournament in Pretoria as the Zambians were dazed by Banyana Banyana on Tuesday, June 3 after earlier playing out a 1-1 draw against Botswana on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Zambia has been on a free fall as the Copper Queens had last April window lost to Thailand 2-3 and in February 25 list 2-3 to Malawi, respectively, despite having in the team the reigning African Best Player of the Year (Women’s) Barbra Banda, Rachel Kundananji, Prisca Chilufya, Evarine Katongo, Mary Mulenga, Eunice Sakala, Margaret Belemu, etc, and with Swiss-born coach Nora Häuptle on the saddle.

However, Nigeria’s situation is somewhat different because they former African champions could not be judged with just one international friendly in eight months following the Super Falcons’ inability to play any match after the 2-1 loss to Les Bleues of France at Stade Raymond Kopa in Angers, France, on November 30, 2024.

Since then, Nigeria did not play any match until the just concluded FIFA international match window when the match-hungry Super Falcons had to play only one match after the first game was cancelled because of the late arrival of the Cameroonian delegation to Nigeria due to what they said to be a logistic reason.

Expectations were high amongst Nigerian football enthusiasts, especially women’s football followers that the planned high-profile double-header friendly matches against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses slated for Saturday, May 31, at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo and Tuesday, June 3 at MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta will allow Nigerians to gauge the preparedness of the team ahead of the WAFCON in Morocco next month.

Unfortunately, all the efforts made by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) hierarchy to ensure that the two matches were played did not materialise due to the late arrival of the Cameroonian delegation which necessitated the cancellation of the first leg of the double-header billed for Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo while only the return leg in Abeokuta was played and Nigeria defeated Cameroon 2-0 courtesy of captain Rasheedat Busayo Ajibade’s first half brace.

Overall, Super Falcons can not be assessed by the team’s performance in one game on a wet day in front of a partisan home crowd as the earlier planned two matches within a week would have given critics, supporters and coaching crew the opportunity to access the individual player’s performance over two games.

Luckily, coach Justin Madugu and his assistants have one more chance to put a good team together that will hold its own in the WAFCON 2024 tournament with the proposed Grade A international friendly match with Portugal at Estádio José Gomes in Amadora on June 23, 2025.

It is after the match against the Portuguese women during the team’s camping in Portugal that Nigerians will begin to either “Renew their Hopes ” for yet another African title or “Siddon dey look”.

African International Women’s Friendlies Results:

*Wednesday, May 28, 2025

1- South Africa’s Banyana Banyana defeat Botswana’s Zebras 3-2 in Pretoria

 *Friday, May 30

2– Ivory Coast and Ghana draw 3-3 in Abidjan

3–Tanzania 2-1 DR Congo at Azam Complex Stadium, Dar-es-Salaam

*Saturday, May 31

4– Zambia and Botswana play 1-1 draw in 3-Nation Series Mini-Tournament in Pretoria

*Tuesday, June 3, 2025

4– Nigeria’s Super Falcons beat Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses 2-0 in Abeokuta

5– Tanzania’s Twiga Stars defeat DR Congo 3-1 in Dar-es-Salaam

6–South Africa’s Banyana Banyana defeat Cooper Queens of Zambia 2-0 in Pretoria

7– Ivory Coast pip Ghana’s Black Queens 1-0 in Abidjan

*Wednesday, June 4

Morocco beat Kenya 5-1 in Tangier

*Note: Total 31 goals in 10 matches

 *WAFCON 2024 qualified countries at a glance:*

Host-Morocco, Champions- South Africa, Nigeria, DR Congo, Tunisia, Ghana, Botswana, and Algeria. Others are Mali, Tanzania, Senegal, and Zambia.