CAF:
Across five continents, in five confederations, women’s football has taken centre stage.
The African continent got the ball rolling with the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from 2 July and will end off on 23 July.
12 nations are locked in battle – not only for the right to be called Queens of the Continent, but also in search of four tickets to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup that will be staged in Australia and New Zealand.
Morocco, South Africa, Nigeria (defending champions), Botswana, Burundi, Togo, Tunisia, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Senegal and Cameroon are going toe to toe in Rabat and Casablanca.
The top four teams will qualify for the World Cup and two more teams will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
The 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is the 14th edition of the biennial African international women’s tournament organized by CAF.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria have lifted the trophy nine times, and have won the last three editions – 2014, 2016 and 2018. The 2020 competition was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic – and it would have been the first to feature an expanded tournament of 12 teams from eight in the previous editions.
CONCACAF:
Across in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, eight nations are in search of glory in the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, which is the 11th edition.
The tournament also serves as a qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as for the football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games in France.
The countries in competition are Canada, USA (defending champions), Mexico, Costa, Panama, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago as well as Haiti.
The top two teams of each of the two groups will qualify for the World Cup, while the third-placed teams from each group will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.
In addition, the winners of the tournament will qualify for the Olympics and the 2024 CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup, while the second and third-placed teams will advance to the CONCACAF Olympic play-off.
The competition started on the 4th of July and will come to an end on the 18th.
The USA has already clinched their spot in the World Cup.
UEFA:
The 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championships, also known as the Women’s EURO 2022 is also on the go – but it not used as World Cup qualifiers.
The 13th edition was initially set to take place from 7 July – 1 August 2021 but due to the Covid 19 pandemic in Europe as well as postponements of the Tokyo Olympics and the EUFA EURO 2020, it was rescheduled.
The tournament is underway in England – it kicked off on Thursday, 6 July and will conclude on 31 July.
The participating countries are the hosts, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Belgium, Iceland, Finland, Spain, Austria, Italy, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland.
(Russia had qualified to take part but was suspended by FIFA and EUFA due to the Ukraine conflict – they were replaced by Portugal)
The English also hosted in 2005 when there were only eight nations, and the Netherlands are the defending champions, Northern Ireland are taking part for the first time.
The final will take place at Wembley Stadium in London, and the winning nation will compete in the inaugural EUFA-CONMEBOL Women’s Finalissima against the winner of the 2022 COPA America Femenina.
EUFA uses a different competition for world cup qualification, which determines which 11 nations directly book their place for the Australia and New Zealand event, while one additional country advances to the inter-confederation play-offs. Already assured of places at the World Cup are France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark. (The qualifiers will continue after the EURO Women’s competition).
CONMEBOL:
In South America, world cup qualification starts in earnest on Saturday, 8 July when the 2022 Copa America Femenina kicks off in Colombia.
It comes to an end on 30 July.
The CONMEBOL tournament doubles as the South American qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – the top three will book their spots in Australia and New Zealand, with two advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.
In addition, three more places are up for grabs for the 2023 Pan American Games tournament in Santiago.
Furthermore, the two finalists secure their tickets to the Olympic Games in France in 2024.
This is the 9th edition of the competition and features 10 countries – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (defending champions), Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela.
After this edition, the tournament will be played every two years instead of four.
OFC:
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is also on the hunt for representatives at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
They will be using the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup, and this will be the 12th edition of the tournament.
Fiji will host the event from 13-30 July, with Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu taking part.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosts, New Zealand, have qualified automatically and will not participate in the 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup – meaning they will not able to defend their title. Oceania has only one spot in the World Cup, so the winner of the tournament will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs.
AFC:
The Asian World Cup participants were confirmed in January and February at the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup held in India.
The tournament was also expanded from eight to 12 nations for the first time in the 19thedition of the competition – India, Japan, Australia, China PR, China Taipei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, South Korea, the Philippines, Iran and Thailand.
China PR won the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup – a record ninth title, and their first since 2006.
Asia has six slots at the Women’s World Cup, and with Australia confirmed as co-hosts alongside New Zealand, the competitors had to battle for five places, while two more advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs, namely Chinese Taipei and Thailand.
COUNTRIES ALREADY QUALIFIED FOR THE 2023 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP:
- ASIA
China, Japan, Korea Republic, Philippines and Vietnam
- EUROPE
France, Spain, Sweden and Denmark
- Americas
USA
- Host nations (automatic qualification)
Australia and New Zealand.
| Confederation | Tournament | Direct slots | Play-off slots |
| AFC | 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup | 5+1 | 2 |
| CAF | 2022 Africa Women Cup of Nations | 4 | 2 |
| CONCACAF | 2022 CONCACAF W Championship | 4 | 2 |
| CONMEBOL | 2022 Copa América Femenina | 3 | 2 |
| OFC | 2022 OFC Women’s Nations Cup | 0+1 | 1 |
| UEFA | 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification (UEFA) | 11 | 1 |
| Play-offs | Inter-confederation play-offs | 3 | — |
| Total | 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification | 30+2 | 10 |
By Matlhomola Morake
