Morocco given the mantle to host maiden CAF Women’s Champions League

Moroccan FA president Faouzi Lakjaa has confirmed winning the right to host the maiden CAF Women’s Champions League scheduled for 2021 November at it Ordinary Assembly meeting held in Rabat on Wednesday.

“Morocco will continue to host international and continental matches, noting that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation team will represent Morocco in the first African Women’s Champions League as the champion of the Moroccan League, which our country will host next November,” Lakjaa told FRMF website.

He continued that, “All those interested in Moroccan football to pay attention to women’s football and smaller groups, and to open the way for young players to participate with their clubs.”

This means Morocco will now be the first country to host the women’s club tournament on the continent, just three months after emerging as the first Awcon host in the North African region.

The continental football governing body opened the hosting rights bid on Thursday, March 4, for the maiden edition of the continental women’s club competition to be held in or before December.

In September, South Africa expressed an interest to stage the competition.

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea were also expected to join the race after failing to land the bid to host the Awcon 2022.

CAF in a statement last month said, “The Total Caf Women’s Champions League 2021 competition will be organized during the period of October, November or December each year as per the resolution of the Caf Executive Committee.

“Seven teams will qualify for the final tournament through qualifiers organized by the zonal unions in addition to the champion club from the host country who gains automatic qualification.”

However, Morocco, who earlier won the right to host the expanded 12-nation 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in January, has now won the hosting rights for the first-ever women’s club championship on the continent.