Lubango - The Angolan Football Federation (FAF) launched the first edition of the National Under-17 Women's Tournament, Tuesday, in the city of Lubango, with the participation of nine teams from the same number of provinces in the country.

Group A, whose matches take place on the Eucaliptos pitch in the province of Bié, is made up of teams from Bié, Cuanza Norte, Luanda Sul, Malanje and Moxico, while for Group B, the matches take place on the Benfica pitch in Lubango, and include Huíla, Luanda, Uíge and Cubango.

The tournament is organized by the FAF and runs until April 19, the date of the final, which will take place in Bié province.

Opening the tournament, the FAF's vice-president for Women's Football, Irene Gonçalves, said expectations are high, since it was necessary to take this step, holding championships at this level is a bet for the women's game, as a way of better harnessing local talent.

In terms of competitions for the current year, she highlighted the national senior championship in regional format, starting in May, the participation of the U-18 team in the COSAFA Region Five games in June and the U-20 team, which has to qualify for the World Cup in September against Tanzania, among others. EM/MS/DAN/AMP