Morocco’s women delivered a stark pre-tournament warning with a 5-0 dismantling of Cape Verde in Casablanca on the eve of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). The friendly, their final outing before hosting the continental championship, was immediately framed by head coach Jorge Vilda as proof that his side enters the competition “in our best shape”. Vilda, appointed after steering Spain to the 2023 World Cup title, acknowledged the weight of expectation but insisted the squad — anchored by captain Ghizlane Chebbak — has corrected defensive frailties and tightened its pressing structure during a month-long camp.

Viewed from Rabat, where the Lionesses of the Atlas open against Kenya on Saturday, the ambition is unvarnished: a first African crown after back-to-back silver medals in 2022 and 2024, and a direct ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The tournament’s top four finishers earn automatic qualification, a format that raises the stakes for all 12 teams. Chebbak, fresh from being named Africa’s best player, stressed that individual accolades matter less than collective success, a refrain echoed across a squad now rich with professionals plying their trade in Europe’s top leagues. Forward Sakina Ouzraoui Diki told FIFA the team is “stronger and more experienced” than when it became the first Arab nation to reach a Women’s World Cup knockout round two years ago.

That sense of deepening quality is shared beyond the host nation. In Lagos, Nigeria’s Super Falcons — holders of a record 10 titles — view the competition as both a coronation and a proving ground. Midfielder Toni Payne, a 2024 champion, noted that “there is a bit of pressure that we win the WAFCON”, but argued the African game has moved beyond Nigerian hegemony. Ghana’s Black Queens, meanwhile, confirmed a 25-player squad under new coach Kim Lars Björkegren, mixing youth with experienced campaigners like Portia Boakye ahead of a Group D campaign that pits them against Cape Verde, Cameroon and Mali.

Kenya’s return to the finals after a ten-year absence introduces a different dynamic. Former captain Ann Aluoch, who led the Harambee Starlets in their maiden 2016 appearance, insisted the current side can “qualify for the knock-out stage” despite a lowly 128th FIFA ranking and a group containing Morocco, Algeria and Senegal. She cited Cape Verde’s recent shock at the men’s World Cup as proof that underdogs can thrive, and pointed to a U17 friendly win over Morocco. Three veterans of the 2016 qualifying ordeal — goalkeeper Lilian Awuor, defender Enez Mango and captain Mwanahalima Adam — offer institutional memory of the hardships that once defined women’s football in the country, from sleeping in changing rooms to scraping through on away goals.

The tournament’s path to Brazil has concentrated minds. For Morocco, a strong start against Kenya at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium would validate months of preparation and set up a likely group decider against a revitalised Algeria, which eliminated Cameroon in qualifying. Nigeria will open later, already framing its campaign as a defence of continental dynastic status. The next concrete marker: Saturday’s kick-off, where the hosts will carry not just local support but the weight of a nation’s rapidly modernising football project.