By Spy Uganda
There are exciting fixtures lined up ahead after the draw for the qualifiers of the Paris 2024 Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (WOFT) was conducted on Tuesday.
Among the entertaining matches lined up include a West African derby pitting Guinea and Ghana, while Uganda will take on Rwanda in an East African duel.
Burkina Faso will take on Mali in another entertaining fixture in the first round.
A total of 25 teams have entered the Olympic qualifying tournament, with 18 set to be involved in the first round. The remaining seven, headlined by champions South Africa are the highest ranked teams from last year’s TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and will join the competition in the second round.
The nine winners from the first round will join the seven highest ranked teams for a second-round tie involving 16 teams. The eight winners progress to the third round, then the fourth round where the teams will be whittled to four.
Winners of the fourth round will qualify for the final tournament.
At the last Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Zambia represented Africa, and the She-polopolo will start their journey towards a possible back-to-back qualification in the second round.
The first-round matches are scheduled for July 10-18 2023, the second round October 23-31, third round February 19-28 February 2024 while the final round will be staged between April 1-9 2024.
First Round Fixtures:
Guinea Bissau vs Benin, Guinea vs Ghana, Burkina Faso vs Mali, Cote d’Ivoire vs Sierra Leone, Namibia vs Equatorial Guinea, Uganda vs Rwanda, Ethiopia vs Chad, Congo vs Tanzania, Mozambique vs DR Congo.
Second Round Fixtures:
Guinea Bissau/Benin vs Guinea/Ghana, Burkina Faso/Mali vs Zambia, Cote d’Ivoire/Sierra Leone vs Tunisia, Namivia/Equatorial Guinea vs Morocco, Uganda/Rwanda vs Cameroon, Ethiopia/Chad vs Nigeria, Congo/Tanzania vs Botswana, Mozambique/DR Congo vs South Africa.
Match Schedule
First round 10–18 July 2023
Second round 23–31 October 2023
Third round 19–28 February 2024
Fourth round 1–9 April 2024
