As was the case in the United States until very recently, women’s football in Africa is a very small enterprise compared to men’s football. There is virtually no organized women’s football in the high school or semi-professional club level. Yet in spite of this disadvantage in the last Women’s World Cup tournament in 1999, hosted by the United States, the African countries of Ghana and Nigeria represented two of the 16 national teams that made it to the final round of the Women’s World Cup.
While Ghana was eliminated in the first phase of the tournament, Nigeria made it to the quarter-final round and narrowly missed defeating Brazil and moving into the semi-finals where they would have met the United States, the eventual world champions.
For more information on women’s soccer in Africa and around the world visit:
http://www.fifa.com/womens-football/index.html
Ghana’s National Team at the 1999 Women’s World Cup @ FIFA
Nigerian National Team at the 1999 Women’s World Cup @ FIFA
Elegant ball-handling by Nigerian Patience Abre in their quarter final match against Brazil @ FIFA