CAF has officially announced the expansion of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON], confirming that the number of participating nations will increase starting with the 2026 tournament edition.
This comes after the executive committee of CAF approved the expansion from 12 to 16 teams. The conclusion of the qualification stage last were completed last month.
The WAFCON 2026 tournament is set to take place in Morocco. The competition will start from the 17th of March to the 3rd of April 2026.
CAF used the latest FIFA women’s world rankings to select the top four nations from those eliminated in the final qualifying round to join the 12 countries that had already qualified for the competition.
THE FOUR COUNTRIES SELECTED TO JOIN THE 12 TEAMS AT 2026 WAFCON TOURNAMENT
The four teams that have been chosen to complete the list of the WAFCON participating teams are Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt, ranked 66th, 71st, 79th, and 95th in the FIFA rankings, respectively.
The 12 nations that have already booked their spots for the 2026 WAFCON are Morocco, the host nation; Zambia; Tanzania; Malawi; Algeria. Nigeria; Ghana; Burkina Faso; Kenya; Cape Verde; Banyana Banyana; and Senegal to complete the list.
Meanwhile, the WAFCON tournament will also serve as the continental qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The World Cup is due to be staged in Brazil.
CAF OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON WAFCON EXPANSION
“The Executive Committee of the Confédération Africaine de Football [CAF] has approved the expansion of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations [WAFCON] from 12 to 16 teams. This will start with the next edition to be staged in Morocco. The tournament will commence from 17 March-3 April 2026,” said CAF in a statement.
“The decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent.
“This will allow more nations to participate in African women’s football’s flagship. This competition will contribute to its continued growth and global reach.”
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