The gas-rich Gulf state has embarked on a huge construction programme to get ready for the 2022 tournament, drawing intense scrutiny from rights and labour campaigners.
The winning spot kick was subject to much debate but Megan Rapinoe converted it with 15 minutes left after her opening penalty had been cancelled out.
It was always going to be a tough ask for Bafana Bafana, coming up against one of the pre-tournament favourites first up.
When Faf du Plessis assembled his Proteas team in May, he knew that he had collected a unit that was the weakest of any that had gone before them.
Nicolas Pepe twice went close with free-kicks on another hot afternoon in Cairo but it was Jonathan Kodjia's goal on 64 minutes that gave 2015 champions Ivory Coast victory in the side's opening Group D match.
The Proteas lost by 49 runs to Pakistan on Sunday, ruling themselves out of contention for the semi-finals in the process having won only one of their seven matches at the tournament, a win over minnows Afghanistan.
The 1992 champions were on the brink of elimination after losing three of their first five games, including a bruising defeat to arch-rivals India.
The ill-tempered match included an incident where Cameroon defender Augustine Ejangue spat on the arm of England forward Toni Duggan.
Cricket South Africa has opened its register to receive applications from South African and overseas players (which includes both foreign overseas and Kolpak players) interested in participating in Mzansi Super League 2.0 (MSL 2.0).
David Warner and Steve Smith have found themselves booed by some fans in England after returning to international cricket following year-long bans for ball-tampering.
