Zambia, Morocco Rivalry Heats Up Ahead of WAFCON 2024 Clash in Group A Battle

With just weeks to go before the highly anticipated TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2024, the stage is set for a thrilling Group A showdown that promises to reignite the growing rivalry between Zambia and hosts Morocco.

Morocco’s head coach, Jorge Vilda, a FIFA Women’s World Cup winner with Spain in 2023, has openly admitted that Zambia remains the side to watch in their group, a sign of the Copper Queens’ rapid rise in African women’s football.

In an exclusive interview with CAF Media, Vilda described Group A as the most competitive of the tournament, singling out Zambia as a formidable opponent.

“We know Zambia well; we faced them in the Olympic qualifiers. It’s a team that has made huge progress in the past year. They have very powerful, fast, and physically strong players who are now featuring in the best leagues,” Vilda said.

The two nations have developed a budding rivalry in recent fixtures, with Zambia dominating the head to head and will be aiming to prove they are serious WAFCON title contenders. After all, Morocco are not just continental silver medallists but also fresh from a historic Round of 16 finish at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Alongside DR Congo and Senegal, Group A has been dubbed the ‘Group of Conquest’ by Vilda himself, who admitted:

“Every victory in this group will be a real conquest. Winning a match here is already a conquest, and that’s our goal: to conquer game after game.”