Road to Australia & New Zealand 2023 mapped out in Africa

• African qualifiers draw confirms route to Australia & New Zealand 2023
• The 2022 CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations doubles as a qualifying tournament
• 44 nations to vie for four automatic berths and two inter-continental play-off spots

Just a few days after European teams discovered their fate, African sides have learned what awaits them in their qualifying matches for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™.

The 2022 CAF Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco will double as a qualifying competition for the global tournament, and the draw for the corresponding qualifiers has unveiled the fixtures that lie in store, as well as revealing the qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 and FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups.

Impressive increase

There will be a historical dimension to the draw given that, for the first time in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, four automatic qualifying spots will be allocated to African teams, as well as two additional places at the inter-confederation play-off tournament. It is also worth noting that the ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup will feature 32 nations for the first time, as compared to 24 at France 2019.

While the number of qualified nations has been increased, so has the list of teams taking part in the qualifiers. In fact, no fewer than 44 national sides will compete for the right to join Morocco at the continental tournament – 24 more than were present in the 2018 qualifiers. This remarkable rise demonstrates the growing interest in women’s football in Africa, and reflects the impact of efforts made by FIFA and CAF to develop the sport.

The next Women’s World Cup marks another step forward, with the guaranteed participation of four African teams and the possibility of two more joining them via the playoffs.