The first round of group matches for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup began last week, with all but one being played over the previous three days.
Following their performance in the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, four African nations are participating in the competition.
The African nations represented at the World Cup are South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia, and Morocco.
However, none of them were able to win any of the games they played in the opening round, with South Africa being the only team to have scored a goal thus far.
Nigeria’s custodian had a historic performance against Canada in their opening match of the campaign, saving a penalty shot in the process. Their scoreless performance highlighted their outstanding defensive work but also highlighted how challenging it is to generate scoring opportunities while playing better opponents.
On Saturday, Zambia lost to a tenacious Japanese team 5-0. The match served as a clear example of the women’s game’s quality disparity between industrialised football nations and those in Africa. Zambia tried their hardest to limit the attacking force of their opponents, but they were unsuccessful.
With their WAFCON victory, Bayana Bayana were undoubtedly one of the best teams to see on the African continent, and their performance against Sweden would have been commended if it weren’t for the late goal. The tournament problems of the African team were made worse by South Africa’s 2-1 loss to Sweden. However, they stood out because they scored a goal.
Morocco became the most recent team to lose badly. Earlier on Monday, Japan beat up on the debutants with a score of 6-0. The North Africans, making their debut on the international scene, were expected to put up a fight, but their performance against Japan was far from a contest and requires work before the next round.
Nigeria will play one of the hosts, Australia, in Group B during the second round of games, while South Africa will play Argentina as a visiting team.
Zambia will come up against Spain, and Morocco will face South Korea.
