The African Women’s Cup of Nations started in 1991 and was won by the Super Falcons of Nigeria. This maiden edition had no specific host nation as the competition was played on the home and away format.

The draw for this year’s tournament would take place on Sunday in Accra and in this article we take a look back at all the opponents the Black Queens have competed against at the group stage level of the tournament.

The Nigerians, after the maiden success, defended their title four years later under the same format but it was during the third edition of Africa’s premier women’s competition in 1998 that a host nation was chosen for the first time and the group stage format was introduced.

The 1998 African Women’s Championship was the third edition of the African Women’s Championship. The tournament determined CAF’s two qualifiers for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup — the winner Nigeria and the runners-up Ghana. Nigeria won its third title in a row beating biggest rivals Ghana 2–0 in the final at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium, formerly the Gateway Stadium in Ijebu-Ode on 31st October 1998.

For this 1998 edition, eventual winners Nigeria, DR. Congo, Morocco and Egypt were put in Group A whilst runners-up Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa and Mozambique were the teams in Group B.

The indomitable lionesses of Cameroon are the most familiar group rivals of the Black Queens with the two teams meeting on five occasions in 1998, 2000, 2006, 2010 and 2014.

Super Falcons of Nigeria and Bayana Bayana of South Africa are the next teams the Queens have met the most at the group level (4 times each).

Below are the all-time group opponents of the Black Queens of Ghana at the African Women’s Cup of Nations.

Nigeria 1998, Group B – Ghana (1st), Cameroon, South Africa and Mozambique.

South Africa 2000, Group B – Ghana (2nd), Nigeria, Cameroon and Morocco.

Nigeria 2002, Group A – Ghana (1st), Nigeria, Mali and Ethiopia.

South Africa 2004, Group A – Ghana (1st), Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Nigeria 2006, Group B – Ghana (1st), Cameroon, DR. Congo and Mali.

Equatorial Guinea 2008, Group B – Ghana (3rd), Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia.

South Africa 2010, Group B– Ghana (3rd), Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Algeria.

Equatorial Guinea 2012 – Ghana did not qualify

Namibia 2014, Group B – Ghana (3rd), Cameroon, South Africa and Algeria.

Cameroon 2016, Group B – Ghana (2nd), Nigeria, Mali and Kenya.

Ghana 2018, Group A – Ghana, ???.

() indicates position after the group play