Voices of Medina: Football Case Study latest WAFCON project explores sport as a celebration of culture and unity

Last month, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) unfolded in the vibrant west of Morocco, in Casablanca. The tournament concluded with a 3-2 victory by Nigeria’s Super Falcons against the host country’s Atlas Lionesses. Throughout the month, lining the busy souks and hectic streets it wasn’t just the smell of spices and mint that erupted in the air, but a palpable sense of unity and empowerment that only ever comes from football at its best. 

Partnering with Nike, the editorial and research platform Football Case Study spent the month living in the city, uncovering the amalgam of local culture with the more continental fervour that the tournament brings. For some members of the Football Case Study team, it was their first time visiting Morocco. However, due to the warmth and welcoming sense evading the country, its winding landscape instantaneously felt familiar. The project, Voices of Medina, a multimedia portraits project aimed to capture the 2025 Africa’s premier women’s football tournament in Morocco at its peak uncovering the intimate aspects of the tournament; from the early mornings to its late nights. 

Embraced by the staple generosity of the locals, custodians of warmth to respectful tourists. The project, featuring portraits in both video and photo formats, is an equally intimate and endearing vignette of Moroccan life, with the kind of access only possible with the utmost respect for the culture that can often elude foreign lenses. In this case, the work guides viewers across the ridges and valleys of Morocco’s landscape and people, tethered together by a distinct theme of football, not as a sport but as an intergenerational transmission threading different generations together, passed on from one to another, carrying ancestral weight.  

Despite the rushed and overlooked planning, during the tournament, football was not seen as a male-dominated sport. This year, celebrations erupted across the heart of Africa, uniting those who belonged to African heritage while simultaneously empowering the young and old, especially women. During WAFCON, football was not limited to just being a sport, but rather a trajectory to social change within Africa.

Whether you belonged to the same country or not, the games that took place were able to unite people scattered across the globe. During the month, Football Case Study’s team uncovered stories unveiling a strong national pride and cultural love that many share to their descendants and ancestry.

On the ground, the team witnessed an erupting sense of unity. During match hours men and women gathered in restaurants and cafes watching and cheering on the game regardless of who was playing. Luckily, Football Case Study was able to speak to a variety of fans, highlighting how deep love and passion for the sport runs. One of them, Mercy Miranghe, a Nigerian Casablanca-based chef, was rooting for the Super Falcons. Having WAFCON located in the same country as her, Mercy made it a mission to attend every single Nigerian game during WAFCON. According to Mercy, “Representing Nigeria gives me an overwhelming sense of pride, being Nigerian is exciting and fulfilling… our energy is unmatched.” Similarly, Janette Powers, a full-time medical student and wife, explains how her Nigerian heritage gives her a sense of strength both in her professional life and in the crowd. In her words, “WAFCON gives me a lot of passion about watching women play and taking care of women… we are able and we are skilled.” 

Throughout the past two decades, the opportunities for women in football have expanded in the region. Morocco, for one, is an example of a country that is shifting dynamics when it comes to womanhood, demonstrating how opportunities in sport can pave the way for change among women. Lamia Taj, an interpreter from Casablanca, explains, “If I compare my life in Casablanca to my mother’s, there are a lot of differences.” The sport is being used as a vector to empower the young generation. 

Likewise, according to the girls of Casablanca football club Amiad Al Hkalil Arryadia, football is strengthening their bond with each other, their families and their neighbourhoods. Their captain Ahlam expressed, “The tiredness I feel when I play football is outweighed by the gratitude I feel for the sport I choose to play every day.” Casablanca has become a gateway for local girls to enter the male-dominated world of football. The football club is redefining the way young girls view football in Morocco. 

With WAFCON finally happening again, it’s part and parcel of a broader paradigm shift not only in women’s empowerment but also in greater visibility for sport in the global south. Football Case Study’s experience highlights the sensation football and sport can bring to an environment igniting pride, love, and unity amongst the crowd. The team’s adventures in the Moroccan sun encapsulates this generation of young girls’ passion towards football. Could it be that with WAFCON taking place we have  a step closer to gender equality as we have for cultural visibility in football?