In Africa, women's football attracts more and more spectators. Morocco has bet on this category and will organize the next women's CAN.
Last July in Morocco, South Africa beat Morocco in the final of the Women's African Cup of Nations (CAN). For the 14th edition, the stakes were high: 500 dollars were promised to the team that would win the tournament and the four semi-finalists would qualify directly for the Women's World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand this year.
If the event did not have the same impact as a men's CAN, the organizers were able to take pride in the growing public interest in women's football. The figures speak for themselves: the competition welcomed, for this edition, twelve teams instead of eight previously, 2,4 million dollars had been invested by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), i.e. double the sum allocated during the last edition, and the channels of more than 60 countries broadcast the matches, some of which attracted a large audience – 45 spectators for the Morocco-Nigeria semi-final.
The success of this last women's CAN shows the interest of the Cherifian kingdom for women's football. And if the CAF has bet much more on this 14th edition, it is partly under the influence of Fouzi Lekjaa, the powerful boss of Moroccan football, very listened to by the members of the African Football Confederation. Moreover, the 15th edition will take place… in Morocco! South Africa will attempt to host the 2027 Women's World Cup.
Compete with the greatest nations
Beyond logistics, Rabat has also bet on the sporting aspect. Morocco wants high-performance women and the Morocco-South Africa final of the last CAN shows that the kingdom wants to count on the continent, despite the supremacy of a few other countries, such as Nigeria or South Africa. It was almost ten years ago that King Mohammed VI commissioned Lekjaa to do this.
This has gone through a professionalization of women's football, which now has two professional divisions, managed by the National Women's Football League (LNFF). According to Jeune Afrique, the league's budget has since been multiplied by ten, reaching 6 million euros per year. Players paid to play football, quotas imposed — although coaches can be men, clubs must have an assistant to be able to obtain funds — and equipment and staff reserved for them… Moroccan women now have the means to their ambitions.
The kingdom's objectives are ambitious: the government is aiming for 90 licensees by next year. It would therefore be necessary to multiply by nine the number of current players. We are therefore far from achieving the objectives, but Morocco wants to believe in it. Several foreign players have also decided to join the Moroccan women's championship, and are the standard bearers of the round ball. While waiting, why not, to join Europe, where women's football has developed very quickly.
First assessment in 2024
"There is still a lot of work to do, that's for sure, but there is talent", summarizes Anthony Rimasson, coach of the U17 women's team, interviewed by the FIFA website. His selection managed to win his first ticket for the World Cup in the category this year. “Women's football is quite recent in Morocco. The structures took time to put in place. But the discipline is now well organized: we are better equipped to spot these talents, ”continues the coach.
If CAN 2022 was a success, especially in terms of attendance, that of 2024 must be even more impressive. Morocco hopes that the organization of these two successive AFCONs will enable it to position itself as the spearhead of continental women's football. A first assessment will be drawn up by the LNFF at that time. It will then be time to see if the kingdom is still far from its objectives. It will then be necessary to readjust the sports policy.