Nairobi to host Africa Women’s Cup 2025
|Vijana Amani Pamoja will co-host the second Africa Women’s Cup in Nairobi in June 2025.
Image: Vijana Amani Pamoja
The second Africa Women’s Cup will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on 28-29th June 2025.
The event will be co-hosted by the Homeless World Cup Foundation and Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP).
The tournament is part of a collaborative project with the FIFA Foundation and four delivery partners.
Teams from eight nations will travel to Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to compete over two days for the second ever Africa Women’s Cup. The 4-a-side street football tournament took place for the first time in June 2024 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Teams from Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe took part in the first edition of the tournament. Uganda became the inaugural champions after beating hosts Tanzania in the final 6-1.
|Uganda won the inaugrual Africa Women’s Cup in Arusha, Tanzania in 2024. Image: Homeless World Cup
The Africa Women’s Cup is part of a two-year collaborative project between the Homeless World Cup Foundation, the FIFA Foundation and four national delivery partners which all represent Homeless World Cup Member Countries: Vijana Amani Pamoja (Kenya), Future Stars Academy (Tanzania), Bauleni United Sports Academy (Zambia) and Young Achievement Sports for Development (Zimbabwe).
The project ‘Football to Protect Vulnerable Women from Exploitation’ started in December 2023 and will run until December 2025. Together with the four delivery partners, the project has developed a new curriculum to educate both men and women, as well as young girls and boys, on gender-based violence and gender equality.
The programme uses football as a key engagement tool, which helps to break down barriers and reduce stigma when tackling such a sensitive subject. The curriculum has been introduced in all four delivery partner countries with hundreds of people already benefitting from the newly established programme.
Kenya is the regional hub for the project and a fitting place to hold the second Africa Women’s Cup.
Nancy Wawaru, Project Regional Hub Manager and Head of Programmes at Vijana Amani Pamoja said: “Given the alarming statistics we're seeing today. Now more than ever, we must come together through the power of sports to empower women and ignite conversations that challenge norms surrounding gender-based violence. By using this space, we can work towards a safer future for women.”
|Hundreds of people have already benefitted from the two-year project ‘Football to Protect Vulnerable Women from Exploitation’. Image: Vijana Amani Pamoja
|Rutendo Kuseka represented Zimbabwe at the Africa Women’s Cup in Arusha Tanzania. Image: Homeless World Cup
The Africa Women’s Cup tournament is a highlight of the programme for the participants, giving them the unique opportunity to represent their country at an international tournament. For many of the players, it is their first chance to travel outside their country and experience a new culture.
Rutendo Kuseka who represented Zimbabwe at the Africa Women’s Cup 2024 in Arusha, Tanzania said: “I think we have a different perception about what homelessness is, and yet it’s just a group of people coming together to showcase how best they can have fun and leave those sorrows and stresses back home. This has been wonderful and welcoming and world-changing for me personally.”
Zoe Hopkins, International Partnerships Manager, Homeless World Cup said: “Since Kenya is the Homeless World Cup Hub of this two-year project, the tournament and accompanying meetings with eight HWC members, is a perfect opportunity to showcase the progress in women’s football on and off the pitch, including strengthening awareness around gender-based violence and positive masculinities. Good luck to all eight women’s teams competing in Nairobi!”
As programme delivery partners, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will all field teams at the tournament. The additional four nations that will compete in the Africa Women’s Cup 2025 are still to be finalised and will be announced soon.
If you are interested in reporting on the event, please contact press@homelessworldcup.org