The 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup in Qatar elevated African football to new heights. Fans across the globe were stunned by the impressive performances of African teams including those from Morocco, Tunisia, and Cameroon, who all pulled surprising victories. Remember how Tunisia pulled off a shock against France? Well, everyone on the continent is now looking forward to seeing how African nations will fare in the upcoming 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. South Africa, Zambia, Nigeria, and Morocco will be carrying the hopes of the continent. READ ALSO: Seven moments Morocco made history at the World Cup African teams will head into the Women’s World Cup as underdogs but Nigeria have twice made the knockout rounds and will be out to prove they are still Africa's dominant force. The defending champions, the United States, and England as well as Spain are favorites to win the ninth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The United States, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Japan, and Nigeria are the only nations that have appeared in every prior edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The question on the mind of African fans and analysts alike is: can any of the African teams lift the trophy? Zambia The Zambian women's national football team has been making strides in recent years, qualifying for their first-ever Olympic Games in 2021 and they are the only debutants of this years edition. They also competed in the 2018 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where they made it to the group stage before being eliminated. Zambia has a number of talented players, including striker Barbra Banda, who has been a standout performer for the team in recent years. She currently plays for Shanghai Shengli in the Chinese Women's Super League, where she has scored some impressive goals. In the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, they will be looking to make a mark on the global stage. With a talented roster of players and a growing interest in women's football in the country, Zambia's women's national football team has the potential to become a force to reckon with in African football and beyond. While it's difficult to predict the outcome of a tournament as competitive as the World Cup, Zambia's recent successes suggest that they could be a team to watch in the future. Morocco Morocco's women's national football team made strides in recent years, with their biggest achievement being the win of the 2022 Arab Women's Cup and becoming the first ever Arab finalist at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. It was the first time they won the tournament. The team's success is due, in part, to the efforts of head coach Reynald Pedros who has been credited with improving the team's performance. Morocco's recent performances suggest that they could be a team to watch in the upcoming tournament. The team has a talented roster of players including striker Fatima Tagnaouti who was the top scorer in the Arab Women's Cup, and midfielder Ghizlane Chebbak, who was the tournament's best player. With these talented players and a strong coaching staff, Morocco's women's national football team has a good chance of performing well in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. South Africa South Africa's women's national football team has been a consistent performer in recent years, qualifying for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and winning the 2022 CAF WAFCON. While it's difficult to predict the outcome of a tournament as competitive as the World Cup, South Africa's recent performances suggest that they could be a team to watch in the upcoming tournament. They also have a talented roster of players including forward Thembi Kgatlana, who was the top scorer in the 2018 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, and midfielder Refiloe Jane, a consistent performer for the team in recent years. With these talented players and a strong coaching staff, South Africa's women's national football team has a good chance of performing well in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, even if it is difficult to predict how far they can go. Cameroon Cameroon's women's national football team has been a consistent performer in recent years, qualifying for the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The team's biggest achievement to date was reaching the final of the 2016 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost to Nigeria in a penalty shootout. The team has a talented roster of players including forward Ajara Nchout, who scored the winning goal in Cameroon's 2-1 victory over New Zealand in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, and midfielder Raissa Feudjio who was the player of the tournament in the 2021 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria Nigeria's Super Falcons are the most successful side in Africa. The team has won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations a record 11 times, including the 2018 edition of the tournament. They qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup since its inception in 1991, making them one of the most experienced teams in the tournament. One of the team's most notable achievements was reaching the quarterfinals of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. This was the first time that an African team advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament, and it helped to raise the profile of women's football in Nigeria and across the continent. The team's success is due in part to the efforts of some of the most talented players in African football, including FC Barcelona’s striker Asisat Oshoala, who has won the African Women's Footballer of the Year award four times, and midfielder Rita Chikwelu, who has been a consistent performer for the team over the years. The team is currently coached by Randy Waldrum who was appointed in 2021 and has a wealth of experience coaching women's football teams in the United States. Nigeria will be looking to improve on their performance in the 2019 edition when they were knocked out in the round of 16. With a talented roster of players and a strong coaching staff, Nigeria's women's national football team has a good chance of performing well in the upcoming tournament and continuing their success in African women's football. The groups: Group A: New Zealand (co-hosts), Norway, the Philippines, and Switzerland Group B: Australia (co-hosts), Ireland, Nigeria, and Canada Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, and Japan Group D: England, Haita, Denmark, and China Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, and Portugal Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, and Panama Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina
