Monrovia – Liberia’s Women’s Under-17 football team has been drawn against Mali in the 2024 African U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the 2024 World Cup qualifiers was held in Cairo at the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football.
According to the draw, Liberia’s U-17 women’s national team is scheduled to face Mali both at home and away in the second round of the 2024 African U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The first leg is scheduled for 4 February in Monrovia, and the second leg is set for 10 February in Bamako, with the aggregate winner advancing to the next round of the qualifiers.
In recent times, Liberia has failed to participate in women’s youth competitions due to the George Weah-led government’s failure to allocate necessary funds for the team’s participation. However, with a new government set to take over, it seems that the country is ready for the qualifiers after many years.
A release from the Liberia Football Association disclosed that the head coach, Sekou Manubah, started training with the team on Monday evening, January 8th, at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex practice pitch in Paynesville.
The FA release stated, “Liberia’s Women’s Under-17 head coach, Sekou Manubah, has invited 41 players to justify their inclusion ahead of the 2024 Women’s Under-17 World Cup qualifiers.” According to the Football House, the players have been selected from all women’s divisions, and the final squad will be camped at the George Weah Technical Center in Careysburg ahead of the second-round qualifiers with Mali.
The first leg is in Monrovia on 4 February, while the second leg is in Bamako on 10 February.
Also, during the draw, some exciting pairings emerged, putting Morocco and Burkina Faso face to face, while Uganda versus Cameroon and Burundi against Botswana are expected to showcase some thrilling youth women’s football in the next few months.
In the second round, matches are expected to take place between 2 – 4 February, with the return fixtures set for 9 – 11 February 2024.
Looking at the third round of qualifiers, the winner between Zambia and Tanzania will face off against whoever emerges at the top between Cameroon and Uganda. Meanwhile, Niger and Morocco will take on the winners of the clash between Algeria and Benin. The third round of qualifiers will be played between 10-12 May, with the return legs penciled for 17–19 May 2024.
The final round officially takes place between 7 – 9 June for the first legs, before the official decider of the three nations that will represent Africa takes place between 14 – 16 June.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 will take place in the Dominican Republic from 16 October to 3 November 2024. This will be the first time that the Dominican Republic has hosted a FIFA tournament, and the capital, Santo Domingo, will be the sole venue of the competition.