Nigeria bid for a record-extending 10th continental title when they face hosts Morocco in the final of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) on Saturday.
Both sides are unbeaten and the West Africans have only conceded one goal in five matches on their journey to the 21,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Runners-up in that same stadium in 2022, Morocco are looking for redemption.
Should the Atlas Lionesses lift the trophy for the first time it would offer some return on the vast investment the kingdom has poured into the women’s game in recent years.
Picking a favourite is not easy, with neither side making a compelling case in the semi-finals.
The North Africans, who have Spain’s Women’s World Cup-winning coach Jorge Vilda in the dugout, needed penalty kicks to get past Ghana, while Nigeria, the continent’s top-ranked side, scored a stoppage-time winner to knock out defending champions South Africa.
Confidence, however, is high in the Super Falcons camp, with their campaign branded as ‘Mission X’.
“Mission X – that’s what this entire tournament was about,” defender Michelle Alozie told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s going all the way to the final and winning it. We’re growing as a team and I think that shows every game.”
The winners will pick up $1m (£743,000) in prize money as well as the new-look Wafcon trophy.
Listeners to the BBC World Service in Africa can hear live radio commentary (kick-off 20:00 GMT), while the match will be streamed for viewers in the UK on iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
Morocco returned to Wafcon for the first time since 2000 when the country hosted the 2022 edition, but the hosts, who will also stage the 2026 finals in March, have now firmly established themselves as one of the continent’s elite sides.
However, their performances this month have not been as convincing as three years ago, given they fell behind twice against Zambia in the opening game and then trailed Ghana at half-time in the last four.
Goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi has looked shaky on several occasions, 34-year-old star player and captain Ghizlane Chebbak has faded in the knockout stage and winger Sanaa Mssoudy has not displayed the level of trickery and impact which saw her named as the best player at last year’s Women’s African Champions League and in the 2024-25 Moroccan league campaign.
Yet Chebbak, the joint-top scorer in the tournament with four goals, is still capable of producing in crucial moments and striker Ibtissam Jraidi provides a cutting edge up front.
“I’ve seen a Moroccan team that doesn’t really give up even when they are trailing,” Desire Oparanozie, a four-time Wafcon winner with Nigeria, told BBC Sport Africa.
“They’ve been very impressive. They keep coming at you and that’s really a positive thing.”
Vilda’s appointment was controversial, given he left the Spain job amid the fallout from an incident at the 2023 Women’s World Cup final when then-federation president Luis Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso without her consent.
Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault and fined, while Vilda was cleared of allegations of coercion.
Yet his presence in the Morocco dugout has divided supporters – even if he could create history by helping a North African side win Wafcon for the first time while also achieving a unique personal double.
“Morocco are going to need a coach to make them more than the sum of their parts to win this final,” Algerian journalist Maher Mezahi told the BBC World Service.
“I’ve even seen arguments to say that Morocco hiring Vilda, if he gets them to win the Wafcon, would be worth it because it’s going to do so much more for the women’s game – even if that is a little bit tainted with him being the coach.”
Meanwhile, Nigeria, who have long been the dominant force in African women’s football, have not been shy in expressing their intentions of reclaiming the title they last won in 2018.
The country’s football federation announced Mission X before the finals and it has been a hot topic during media engagements with players.
Coach Justin Madugu has found a balance to his side which has displayed physicality at the back, dominance in midfield and a potent front three spearheaded by Esther Okoronkwo’s intelligent build-up play.
The Super Falcons’ threat from across the pitch is underlined by having nine different goalscorers, and the side ground out a victory against South Africa when right-back Alozie was the unlikely match-winner.
“We’re born with the zeal to fight and want to win every game,” forward Okoronkwo told BBC Sport Africa.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who has signed for Women’s Super League side Brighton, has rarely been tested and the only time she has been beaten thus far was from the penalty spot.
Oparanozie thinks the Super Falcons will be out for “revenge” after their semi-final exit at the hands of the Moroccans in 2022 – a game which saw them have two players sent off by the 72nd minute and eventually beaten on penalties.
A capacity crowd is expected in the Moroccan capital yet Oparanozie does not anticipate that overwhelming support for the hosts will affect her compatriots.
“Nigeria is known for big moments like this,” the 31-year-old said.
“In 2016 we played against the host nation Cameroon [in the final]. The stadium was filled to 40,000 capacity and that didn’t stop Nigeria from winning.”
The 2024 tournament, delayed for a year because of scheduling issues, has seen the continent’s lowest ranked sides cause issues for those above them, but the final is still the one many predicted.
If Morocco can bridge a gap of 24 places in the world rankings – and hand Nigeria their first ever final defeat – it will put a new name on the Wafcon trophy.
Victory for the hosts could potentially tilt the balance of power in Africa, as well as putting pressure on Morocco’s men ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in the kingdom in December.