Millions Harambee Starlets missed for failing to qualify for Wafcon
Harambee Starlets winger Elizabeth Wambui (left) vies for the ball with Botswana midfielder Dithebe Keutumtse at The National Stadium in Gaborone, Botswana during the second match of their 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifying match on December 5, 2023.
What you need to know:
- According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) prize money list, coach Beldine Odemba’s Starlets could have made a cool Sh15,335,000 had they beaten Botswana and qualified for the continental football showpiece.
The dust has now settled as 12 teams have joined hosts Morocco in the 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), but how much did Kenya’s Harambee Starlets stand to gain if they had punched the ticket?
According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) prize money list, coach Beldine Odemba’s Starlets could have made a cool Sh15,335,000 had they beaten Botswana and qualified for the continental football showpiece.
Unfortunately, Kenya, who have one appearance at the continental stage way back in 2016 and had tossed out Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon in the first round on post-match penalties after both teams won at home 1-0, missed out on the chance to get a share of the total prize money of Sh368,040,000 after drawing 1-1 in Nairobi in the first leg and then losing 1-0 in Gaborone to crush out on a 2-1 aggregate score against Botswana on Tuesday.
As Kenya rues missed opportunities after failing to convert two penalties (Violet Nanjala in Nairobi and Cynthia Shilwatso in Gaborone), Botswana, Tanzania, Mali, Zambia, Senegal, Tunisia, DR Congo, Ghana, Algeria, reigning champions South Africa and 11-time winners Nigeria joined Morocco at the 12-nation competition.
The winner of the 15th edition in Morocco will take home Sh76,430,000 and the runner-up Sh45,858,000. The two losing semi-finalists will console themselves with Sh34,393,500 each.
Four teams that will drop out at the quarter-final stage go home with Sh26,750,500 apiece. The ninth-place finisher is guaranteed Sh22,929,000, while the last three sides settle for Sh15,335,000 each.
Kenya had on November 28 also been promised Sh5 million by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba if they qualified for the showpiece.
The final list of 2024 Wafcon participants was confirmed after the final round of qualifiers on Tuesday, with three-time finalists Ghana returning after a six-year absence.
DR Congo have made a comeback since 2012, while Tanzania’s last appearance was in 2010.
Two-time winners Equatorial Guinea were among the casualties, alongside four-time finalists Cameroon in the qualifying stages.
With all 12 qualified teams now known, attention shifts towards the draw for the biennial tournament at a yet-to-be-announced date.
First leg results:
Kenya 1-1 Botswana
Angola 0-6 Zambia
Tanzania 3-0 Togo
Tunisia 5-2 Congo
Nigeria 5-0 Cape Verde
Algeria 5-1 Burundi
Burkina Faso 1-1 South Africa
Mali 7-2 Guinea
Senegal 4-0 Egypt
Equatorial Guinea 1-1 DR Congo
Ghana 3-1 Namibia
Second leg results:
South Africa* 2-0 Burkina Faso
Burundi 0-1 Algeria*
Namibia 1-0 Ghana*
Congo 1-1 Tunisia*
DR Congo* 2-1 Equatorial Guinea
Botswana* 1-0 Kenya
Egypt 0-0 Senegal*
Guinea 0-3 Mali*
Togo 1-0 Tanzania*
Zambia* 6-0 Angola
Cape Verde 1-2 Nigeria*
(* shows the team that qualified on aggregate)
