2025 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup
| Tournoi Féminin UFOA A Mauritanie 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Mauritania |
| City | Nouakchott |
| Dates | 18 – 31 May |
| Teams | 8 (from 1 sub-confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Sierra Leone (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Senegal |
| Third place | Liberia |
| Fourth place | Mali |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 49 (3.06 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Hapsatou M. Diallo (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Hannah Juana |
| Best goalkeeper | Hannah Juana |
← 2023 TBD → | |
The 2025 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup (French: Coupe féminine de la zone A de l'UFOA 2025; Arabic: كأس اتحاد غرب إفريقيا للسيدات منطقة أ 2025) was the third edition of the WAFU Zone A Women's Cup, an international women's football tournament contested by the women's national association football teams of West Africa zone A organized by the West African Football Union (WAFU). Mauritania hosted the tournament from 18 to 31 May 2025, marking the first-ever women's international football competition to take place in the country.[1]
Senegal were two-time champions, having won every edition of the tournament to date.[2] However, they fell short in their title defense after a 0–1 defeat to Sierra Leone in the final.[3] Conversely, Sierra Queens; who had never progressed beyond the group stage in prior editions, enjoyed a historic campaign, culminating in their maiden title triumph.[4][5] Senegal's Hapsatou Malado Diallo claimed the Top Scorer award for the second consecutive time, netting five goals throughout the competition. Sierra Leone's goalkeeper, Hannah Juana was named both Best Player and Best Goalkeeper, following a series of standout performances that played a pivotal role in her nation's maiden title victory.[6]
Of the eight participating teams, hosts Mauritania scored their first-ever goal in the tournament and went on to secure their maiden victory; both in the competition and on the international stage, by defeating Guinea-Bissau in their final group-stage match.[7]
Teams
Participating teams
On 13 May 2025, WAFU Zone A announced that 8 of its 9 member associations would participate in the tournament, with Cape Verde, last edition's runners-up, being the only nation to not enter.[8]
| Team | App. | Previous best performance | WR[a] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gambia | 3rd | Third place (2023) | 123
|
| Guinea | 3rd | Group stage (2020, 2023) | 144
|
| Guinea-Bissau | 3rd | Fourth place (2023) | 177
|
| Liberia | 2nd | Third place (2020) | 167
|
| Mali | 2nd | Runners-up (2020) | 78
|
| Mauritania | 2nd | Group stage (2023) | NR
|
| Senegal | 3rd | Champions (2020, 2023) | 82
|
| Sierra Leone | 3rd | Group stage (2020, 2023) | 150
|
- Did not enter
Cape Verde (125)
Draw
The draw to determine the participating countries' groups took place at 11:00 GMT on 14 May 2025 at the WAFU-UFOA A headquarters in Banjul, The Gambia.[10] The draw started with the hosts, Mauritania, being assigned to position A1, and title holders Senegal being assigned to position B1. The other teams were drawn using two pots: one containing the teams and the other the positions in the groups.
The draw resulted in the following groups:
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| A1 | Mauritania (host) |
| A2 | Mali |
| A3 | Guinea-Bissau |
| A4 | Liberia |
| Pos | Team |
|---|---|
| B1 | Senegal (TH) |
| B2 | Guinea |
| B3 | Sierra Leone |
| B4 | Gambia |
Squads
Each team was required by WAFU-UFOA to name a squad of a minimum of 20 players (two of whom must be goalkeepers).
Venues
On 14 May 2025, WAFU A confirmed the selection of two stadiums within the Mauritanian capital to host the tournament matches.
| Nouakchott | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cheikha Ould Boïdiya Stadium | Ksar Stadium | |
| Capacity: 8,200 | Capacity: 5,000 | |
Match officials
As of 22 May 2025, the following match officials were confirmed for the tournament.[11][12]
Referees
Assistant referees
Group stage
WAFU A initially announced the tournament schedule, including kick-off times and venues, on 14 May 2025. However, the schedule was completely rescheduled on 18 May due to visa issues that delayed the arrival of most delegations to Mauritania, with the tournament now set to start on 22 May.[13]
Tiebreakers
In the group stage, Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Drawing of lots.
All times are local, GMT (UTC).
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 7 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 | Liberia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | |
| 3 | Mauritania (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | |
| 4 | Guinea-Bissau | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 |
| Mauritania | 0–5 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Guinea-Bissau | 1–3 | Liberia |
|---|---|---|
| Iala 16' | Report |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1–4 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Liberia | 1–1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Morris 56' | Report | Diabira 87' (pen.) |
| Mauritania | 2–0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senegal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 7 | Advance to knockout phase |
| 2 | Sierra Leone | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Guinea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Gambia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 3 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
| Senegal | 2–1 | Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Sierra Leone | 0–3 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Sierra Leone | 3–1 | Guinea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Guinea | 4–3 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Senegal | 1–1 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| H. Diallo 87' | Report | Jumu 3' |
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, a penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner if necessary.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 29 May – Nouakchott | ||||||
| Mali | 0 | |||||
| 31 May – Nouakchott | ||||||
| Sierra Leone | 1 | |||||
| Sierra Leone | 1 | |||||
| 29 May – Nouakchott | ||||||
| Senegal | 0 | |||||
| Senegal | 1 | |||||
| Liberia | 0 | |||||
| Third Place | ||||||
| 31 May – Nouakchott | ||||||
| Mali | 0 | |||||
| Liberia | 1 | |||||
Semi-finals
| Mali | 0–1 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Report | S. Kamara 82' |
Third place play-off
Final
Senegal and Sierra Leone contested the final for the first time in the history of the competition. The Lionesses of Teranga as two-time champions, entered the match as the tournament's most successful team,[14] while Sierra Queens reached the final for the first time.[15] The two sides had previously met three times in the competition, most recently in the group stage of the current edition, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Senegal had won one and drawn one of the two earlier encounters.
| Sierra Leone | 1–0 | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| S. Kamara 72' (pen.) | Report Report (FSF) |
Sierra Leone[16]
|
Senegal[17]
|
|
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Player of the Match:
Salamatu Kamara (Sierra Leone)
Assistant referees:
Cadidjatu Mancal (Guinea-Bissau)
Fourth official:
Love Whyee (Liberia)
Goalscorers
There were 49 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 3.06 goals per match.
5 goals
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
- Fatoumatta Jammeh
- Fatou Sonko
- Kany Sidibé
- Julieta Iala
- Mimi Eiden
- Agueissa Diarra
- Salimata Diarra
- Ndèye Awa Casset
- Marian Jumu
- Salamatu Kamara
1 goal
- Mbassey Darboe
- Kaddy Jarju
- Aminata Camara
- Dalphine Glao
- Miatta Morris
- Jessica Quachie
- Bendu Yantay
- Fatou Dembele
- Aicha Samake
- Tacko Diabira
- Fatou Diop
- Ramata Gangué
- Meta Camara
- Marie Diokh
- Wolimata Ndiaye
- Juliet Brima
- Kumba Zainab Brima
Final ranking and awards
Final ranking
| Pos. | Team | G | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Leone | B | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 5 | +1 |
| 2 | Senegal | B | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 3 | +7 |
| 3 | Liberia | A | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 4 | +2 |
| 4 | Mali | A | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 4 | +6 |
| Eliminated in the group stage | ||||||||||
| 5 | Mauritania | A | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
| 6 | Guinea | B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 |
| 7 | Gambia | B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 |
| 8 | Guinea-Bissau | A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | −7 |
Individual awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
| Award | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| Golden Boot | Hapsatou Malado Diallo |
| Golden Ball | Hannah Juana |
| Golden Glove |
See also
References
- ^ Agaly, Maya (13 May 2025). "Nouakchott accueille la Coupe de l'UFOA-A de football féminin". taqadoumy.mr (in French). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Ndour, Papa Mamadou (14 May 2025). "UFOA A : Les « Lionnes » à l'assaut du titre en Mauritanie". pressafrik.com (in French). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Pape Mor Bassine (31 March 2025). "Tournoi UFOA-A, Mauritanie 2025 : le Sénégal perd son titre devant la Sierra Leone". jolofsport.com/ (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Bangura, Sharied (31 May 2025). "Sierra Queens Win WAFU Championship with 1-0 Defeat Against Senegal". sierraloaded.sl. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Mabuka, Dennis (1 June 2025). "History written as Sierra Queens stun champions Senegal to win first-ever WAFU title". africatopsports.com. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ Abubakar, Sorie (1 June 2025). "WAFU: Sierra Queens Goalkeeper, Hannah Juana Wins Golden Glove". sierraloaded.sl. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ JJ (26 May 2025). "Historique ! La Mauritanie féminine décroche sa première victoire officielle". csportsinfos.tg (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ UFOA A (12 May 2025). "WAFU Zone A Women's Cup 2025: Nouakchott to Host the tournament from 18 to 31 May". Retrieved 13 May 2025 – via Facebook.
- ^ "FIFA Women's World Ranking". fifa.com. FIFA. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ Jules Sessiwede (14 May 2025). "Tournoi Féminin UFOA A : Tirage au sort et calendrier de la compétition". africafootunited.com (in French). Retrieved 14 May 2025.
- ^ Touray, Buba (16 May 2025). "Referee Fatou Ngum to officiate at WAFU Women's Championship". thepoint.gm. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Walker, Christopher (20 May 2025). "Liberia: Love Whyee Gets WAFU Call-Up". frontpageafricaonline.com. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Danfa, Balantó (19 May 2025). "Última Hora: Alterado o calendário do Torneio 'UFOA Feminino'". ogologb.net (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ "Tournoi UFOA/A 2025 : Les Lionnes défient la Sierra Leone en finale pour conserver leur titre". wiwsport.com. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ Kannah, Sia Lucy (29 May 2025). "Sierra Queens Stun Mali 1-0, Qualifies for 2025 WAFU A Final". sierraloaded.sl. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ^ "🇸🇱 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: Sierra Queens Starting XI vs Senegal – WAFU A Women's Cup Final (31 May 2025, 8:00 PM)". SLFA. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025 – via Facebook.
- ^ "📋 Le onze de départ des Lionnes du Sénégal face à la Sierra Leone pour la finale de la WAFU A Women's Cup" (in French). FSF. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025 – via Instagram.