WAFCON 2022: Players to watch as African teams battle Super Falcons for continental glory

This year’s edition is the first since Ghana hosted in 2018, and it is also the first that will feature 12 teams of three groups. In previous tournaments, Nigerian players have dominated, which is why it’s not surprising the Super Falcons have won nine of the previous editions.

This year’s tournament is also likely to be dominated by Nigeria, but there are other players that could stand out. As a result, Pulse Sports Nigeria looks at some of the players to watch out for.

The first player on the list is Morocco’s Fatima Tagnaout. Born on January 20, 1999, Tagnaout is one of the players that could take the competition by storm.

The 23-year-old could function as a defender and midfielder, making her a key player for Morocco.

Taganaout plays for AS Forces Armées Royales (FAR), helping them win the Moroccan League twice. She also played in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League.

Chebak is another player from FAR and one of the oldest in the Lioness squad at 31. A quality attacker, Morocco will partly rely on her for goals.

She showed her quality with two well-taken strikes in FAR’s 3-1 win over Malabo Kings in the CAF Champions League.

Morocco’s squad is nearly made up of domestic players, so it’s not surprising that FAR stars dominate the squad. Massoudy is another player and maybe the most talented of the bunch.

Although she’s still only 22, Morocco will rely on Massoudy for goals. The youngster is not fazed by the pressure, though, showing her quality with a fantastic hat-trick in his club’s 3-0 win over Rivers Angels last week.

Cameroon are one of the heavyweights of female football in Africa, but they are still without a title. However, if that is to change, they will need their strikers to be on point.

One of the attackers they will rely on is Ongunene. The 33-year-old is one of the most experienced players in the squad and the best player at 2016 WAFCON.

Plying her trade with CSKA Moscow in Russia, Oguuene scored the goal that sent Cameroon to Morocco.

If Cameroon are to upset the odds in Morocco, they will need to have Ajara at her best. The 29-year-old is the star player in the Lioness squad and will be key to her side’s chances.

The 2019 African Women’s player of the year runner-up currently plays for Inter Milan, and she will forever be remembered for her brilliant individual goal at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Zambia will also be one of the contenders, and they will rely heavily on their Olympic star Banda. The 22-year-old made history in Tokyo, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back games.

She currently plays for Shanghai Shengli, scoring 18 goals in 13 appearances. Banda’s athleticism, skills and goals will be key to Zambia’s chances of going deep in Morocco.

Another player Zambia will rely on is Chanda. Chanda is another player from the famous Zambia U17 team. She currently plays for Kazakhstan champions BIIK Kazykurt after a record-breaking year in the Zambian league.

A quality player with an eye for goal, Zambia will need Chanda and Banda to bond like their name if they want to make a deep run in Morocco.

As stated, Nigeria’s Super Falcons are expected to dominate, but one of the names to look out for is fans’ favourite Ashleigh Plumptre.

Plumptre is definitely one of the players that will steal the spotlight in Cameroon, not just for her looks but also for her football.

The Leicester City Women’s defender was born in England and represented in the Three Lioness at the youth level. However, due to her Nigerian background, Plumptre chose to represent Nigeria at the international level.

Plumptre immediately became a fan favourite following her debut due to her skin colour, which could pass for a white.

And with WAFCON set to be her first major tournament, expect her to steal the spotlight.

Who else again than the most popular African female player in the game. All eyes will be on Oshoala after a remarkable season with Barcelona Femeni.

The 27-year-old finished as the top scorer in the league to help Barcelona retain their league title. This year’s WAFCON will be Oshoala’s fifth, where she will hope to lead Nigeria to a tenth title.