2024 WAFF Women's Championship

The 2024 WAFF Women's Championship was the 8th edition of the WAFF Women's Championship, the biennial international women's football tournament in West Asia competed by the national teams in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF).[1] The tournament was hosted by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it was the first major women's football tournament to be hosted in the kingdom.[2][3]

2024 WAFF Women's Championship
بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا الثامنة للسيدات
Tournament details
Host countrySaudi Arabia
CityJeddah
Dates19–29 February
Teams8 (from 3 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Jordan (6th title)
Runners-up Nepal
Tournament statistics
Matches played15
Goals scored56 (3.73 per match)
Attendance12,700 (847 per match)
Top scorer(s)Nepal Sabitra Bhandari
(9 goals)
Best player(s)Jordan Maysa Jbarah
Best goalkeeperJordan Sherin Al-Shalabe
2022
2026

Jordan were three-time defending champions having won the last three editions (Jordan 2014, Bahrain 2019 and Jordan 2022).[4] and they successfully retained the title for the sixth time, after beating Nepal on penalties in the final.[5][6] In the other hand tournament's host Saudi Arabia were unable to secure victory in any of their matches.[7] Nepalese striker Sabitra Bhandari won the top scorer award scoring nine goals throughout the tournament. Jordanian player Maysa Jbarah was voted the tournament's best player, whilst Jbarah teammate Sherin Al-Shalabe was awarded the best goalkeeper award.

Teams

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Participating teams

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On 4 February 2024, the WAFF announced that 8 countries would participate in the 2024 edition – the highest number of participating countries in a single edition since United Arab Emirates 2011 – with Saudi Arabia participating for the first time in a major football tournament.[8][9] This was also the first edition where non-West Asian Football Federation members were also invited, namely Guam, an EAFF member and Nepal, a SAFF member.[10]

Although numerous Egyptian media outlets indicated that an invitation had been sent to the Egypt women's national football team for the 2024 edition, the team was not included in the list of participants published on 4 February 2024[11][12]

Country Appearance Previous best performance FIFA ranking
December 2023
  Guam 1st Debut 93
  Iraq[13] 2nd Group stage (2011) NR
  Jordan 8th Champions (2005, 2007, 2014, 2019, 2022) 74
  Lebanon 5th Runners-up (2022) 134
  Nepal 1st Debut 105
  Palestine 7th Runners-up (2014) 136
  Saudi Arabia 1st Debut 175
  Syria 5th Third place (2005, 2022) 160
Did not enter

Draw

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The final draw took place at the West Asian Football Federation Headquarters in Amman, Jordan, on 5 February 2024 at 11:00 AST (UTC+3).[14]

For the draw, The eight participating teams were drawn into a singular pot. Saudi Arabia, the host nation was identified by a different color and was automatically allocated to Group A, Position A1. A second pot with 8 balls representing positions A1, A2, A3, A4, B1, B2, B3, and B4 was used for the draw. The A1 position was marked with a different color. each time a team was drawn from the first pot was simultaneously assigned its specific position from the second pot.[15]

Squads

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Each team had to register a squad of 23 players, minimum three of whom must be goalkeepers.

Match officials

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Referees
Assistant referees
  •   Nawaf Moosa
  •   Salman Mohamed Talasi
  •   Karrar Abbas Half
  •   Islam Al-Abadi
  •   Sabreen Al-Abadi
  •   Mohamad El Hajje
  •   Alaa Amro
  •   Roba Zarka
  •   Amal Badhafari

Venues

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On 4 February 2024, WAFF announced Jeddah as the designated host city, with two chosen venues: the annex stadium of King Abdullah Sports City for the group stage and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City for the knockout stage.

Jeddah
King Abdullah Sports City Reserve Stadium Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City
Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 27,000
   

Group stage

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Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  8. Drawing of lots.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Jordan 3 3 0 0 8 1 +7 9 Advance to knockout phase
2   Lebanon 3 2 0 1 7 7 0 6
3   Guam 3 1 0 2 5 7 −2 3
4   Saudi Arabia (H) 3 0 0 3 3 8 −5 0
Source: GSA
(H) Hosts
Guam  3–4  Lebanon
  • Bartosh   8', 17'
  • Anaya   84'
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Khuloud Al-Zaabi (United Arab Emirates)
Saudi Arabia  1–3  Jordan
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 900
Referee: Mohamed Juma (Bahrain)

Jordan  3–0  Guam
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 300
Referee: Ahmed Saad (Bahrain)
Lebanon  3–2  Saudi Arabia
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 700
Referee: Ahmed Gatea (Iraq)

Lebanon  0–2  Jordan
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 500
Referee: Muath Owfi (Palestine)
Saudi Arabia  0–2  Guam
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 500
Referee: Alesar Baddour (Syria)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Nepal 3 3 0 0 13 1 +12 9 Advance to knockout phase
2   Palestine 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 6
3   Syria 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4   Iraq 3 0 0 3 0 11 −11 0
Source: GSA
Nepal    4–1  Syria
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Palestine  3–0  Iraq
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 300
Referee: Esraa Al-Mbaiden (Jordan)

Iraq  0–5  Nepal
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 700
Referee: Haneen Murad (Jordan)
Syria  0–1  Palestine
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 100
Referee: Khuloud Al-Zaabi (United Arab Emirates)

Syria  3–0  Iraq
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Palestine  0–4  Nepal
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 900
Referee: Ahmed Saad (Bahrain)

Knockout stage

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In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out would be used to decide the winner if necessary (no extra time was played).

Bracket

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
27 February – Jeddah
 
 
  Jordan5
 
29 February – Jeddah
 
  Palestine0
 
  Jordan2 (5)
 
27 February – Jeddah
 
  Nepal2 (3)
 
  Nepal2
 
 
  Lebanon1
 

Semi-finals

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Jordan  5–0  Palestine
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Ahmed Gatea (Iraq)
Nepal    2–1  Lebanon
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Ahmed Saad (Bahrain)

Final

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Jordan  2–2  Nepal
Report
Report (WAFF)
Report (AFC)
Penalties
5–3
Attendance: 4,800
Referee: Mohamed Juma (Bahrain)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jordan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nepal
GK 1 Sherin Al-Shalabe
DF 19 Ayah Al-Majali
DF 21 Rand Abu-Hussein
DF 3 Alanoud Al-Zabrey
DF 7 Nour Zoqash
DF 20 Lana Feras
MF 8 Enas Al-Jamaeen   33'
FW 10 Sarah Abu-Sabbah   43'
MF 17 Rouzbahan Fraij
FW 13 Leen Al-Btoush   58'
FW 11 Maysa Jbarah (c)
Substitutions:
FW 9 Bana Al-Bitar   33'
MF 16 Zaina Hazem   58'
Manager:
Maher Abu Hantash
GK 16 Anjila Tumbapo Subba (c)
DF 2 Puja Rana   90+6'
DF 5 Amrita Jaisi   73'
DF 6 Hira Kumari Bhujel
FW 10 Rashmi Ghising   45+2'
DF 12 Gita Rana
FW 13 Rekha Poudel   79'
MF 14 Preeti Rai   74'
FW 18 Sabita Rana Magar
MF 19 Amisha Karki   90'
MF 23 Dipa Shahi
Substitutions:
MF 11 Anita Basnet   45+2'
DF 15 Amrita Jaisi   74'
MF 17 Bimala Chaudhary   90'
Manager:
Rajendra Tamang

Assistant referees:
Nawaf Moosa (Bahrain)
Salman Mohamed Talasi (Bahrain)
Fourth official:
Khuloud Al-Zaabi (United Arab Emirates)

Awards

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The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:[16]

Top scorer
  Sabitra Bhandari
9 goals
Best Player
  Maysa Jbarah
Best goalkeeper
  Sherin Al-Shalabe

Statistics

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Goal scorers

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There were 56 goals scored in 15 matches, for an average of 3.73 goals per match.

9 goals

5 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Source: GSA

Tournament rankings

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Pos. Team G Pld W D L Pts GF GA GD
1   Jordan A 5 4 1 0 13 15 3 +12
2   Nepal B 5 4 1 0 13 17 4 +13
Eliminated in the semi-finals
3   Lebanon A 4 2 0 2 6 8 9 −1
4   Palestine B 4 2 0 2 6 4 9 −5
Eliminated in the group stage
5   Syria B 3 1 0 2 3 4 5 −1
6   Guam A 3 1 0 2 3 5 7 −2
7   Saudi Arabia A 3 0 0 3 0 3 8 −5
8   Iraq B 3 0 0 3 0 0 11 −11

References

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  1. ^ "اللجنة التنفيذية لاتحاد غرب آسيا تناقش أجندة العام 2024" [The Executive Committee of the West Asian Union discusses the agenda for the year 2024]. al-ayyam.ps (in Arabic). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ "جدة تستضيف بطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا للسيدات 2024" [Jeddah hosts the 2024 West Asian Women's Football Championship.]. saff.com.sa (in Arabic). Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 4 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  3. ^ "منتخب السيدات يؤكد مشاركته بـ"غرب آسيا" بنسختها الثامنة" [The women's national team confirms its participation in the eighth edition of the West Asian Championship.]. alghad.com (in Arabic). 15 October 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  4. ^ "الأردن يحصد الفوز الثالث في بطولة غرب آسيا للسيدات" [Jordan secures the third victory in the West Asian Women's Championship.]. the-afc.com (in Arabic). Asian Football Confederation. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ "الأردن تتوج بلقب بطولة غرب آسيا للسيدات على حساب نيبال" [The Jordanian women's team clinches the title of the West Asian Women's Championship at the expense of Nepal.]. dmcfoot.com (in Arabic). 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. ^ "WAFF Women's Championship: Nepal lost to Jordan in penalties". myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  7. ^ "منتخب سيدات السعودية يتذيل مجموعته بعد الهزيمة من غوام في بطولة غرب آسيا" [منتخب سيدات السعودية يتذيل مجموعته بعد الهزيمة من غوام في بطولة غرب آسيا]. koraplus.com (in Arabic). 24 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  8. ^ "19 فبراير... انطلاق النسخة الـ8 لبطولة اتحاد غرب آسيا للسيدات" [February 19... The launch of the 8th edition of the West Asian Women's Football Championship.]. aawsat.com (in Arabic). 4 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  9. ^ "٨ منتخبات في ضيافة السعودية ببطولة السيدات" [8 teams hosted by Saudi Arabia in the Women's Championship.]. the-waff.com (in Arabic). West Asian Football Federation. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Nepal to take part in 2024 WAFF Women's Championship". the-anfa.com. All Nepal Football Association. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  11. ^ "منتخب الكرة النسائية يتلقى دعوة للمشاركة ببطولة غرب أسيا بالسعودية" [The Egypt women's football team receives an invitation to participate in the West Asia Championship in Saudi Arabia.]. youm7.com (in Arabic). 7 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  12. ^ "رسمياً.. منتخب مصر للسيدات يتلقي دعوة للمشاركة في بطولة غرب آسيا بالسعودية" [Officially, the Egyptian women's national team received an invitation to participate in the West Asia Championship in Saudi Arabia]. nabd.com (in Arabic). 7 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  13. ^ "المنتخب النسوي يشارك في غرب آسيا" [The Iraq women's national team participates in West Asia.]. alsabaah.iq (in Arabic). 23 July 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  14. ^ "قرعة بطولة غرب آسيا للسيدات بكرة القدم اليوم" [The draw for the West Asian Women's Football Championship is today.]. addustour.com (in Arabic). 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  15. ^ "قرعة بطولة السيدات الثامنة تكشف عن منافسة منتظرة" [The draw for the eighth women's championship reveals an anticipated competition]. the-waff.com (in Arabic). West Asian Football Federation. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  16. ^ "المرة السادسة.. سيدات الأردن بطلات غرب آسيا" [The sixth time... Jordan's women are champions of West Asia.]. arriyadiyah.com (in Arabic). 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.