The Black Queens will play defending champions Nigeria in the first round of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) qualifiers.

The two powerhouses in African football find themselves in WAFU zone B and were paired against each other in the draw which took place in Cairo, Egypt on Monday.

Both countries have participated in the AWCON since its inception in 1991, with Nigeria winning the title 11 times.

Three of those title victories came at the expense of beating Ghana in the final and the Black Queens will have their eyes on revenge.

Nigeria won the last edition in 2018 which was hosted by Ghana.

The winner of the Nigeria-Ghana tie will face either Niger or Cote d’Ivoire in the second round of the qualifiers.

44 member associations are expected to participate in the qualifiers.

Morocco will be the host country, with the tournament set to have 12 teams for the first time ever.

The women’s AFCON will also serve as a qualifier to the 2023 World Cup which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The first round of qualifiers take place from 7-15th June 2021 whilst the second round will be played from 18-29th October 2021.