Black Queens defender, Linda Eshun believes the new format for the African Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers robs the tournament of quality representation.
Ghana has been drawn against Nigeria in the first round of the qualifiers of the tournament and with the qualifying series divided into zones, one of the two powerhouses of women’s football on the continent will miss out on the tournament next year.
Speaking exclusively to Citi Sports, Eshun expressed surprise at CAF’s new format.
“This is the first of its kind. I has never happened this way, because normally, Ghana is seeded along with Nigeria and Cameroon.”
“So it’s going to very difficult for both countries with the new format because one of us will definitely be dropped.
“And for me, this means that one of the powerhouses in Women’s Football in Africa will miss out on the World Cup and the African Women’s Cup of Nations.
“And when we talk about the powerhouses in Women’s Football in Africa, we are talking about Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa.
“I don’t think this new format is good for African Football.”
Both Ghana and Nigeria have traditionally participated in each of the CAF Women’s AFCON tournaments since the inaugural edition in 1991.
Nigeria are the defending champions while Ghana hosted the tournament in 2018.
The winner of the first round tie between Nigeria and Ghana will face Niger or Cote d’Ivoire in the second round.
The qualifying series will start during the international window of June 2021 and end before the final tournament in Morocco scheduled from July 2 to 23, 2022.
The Total Women’s AFCON is also a qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023.