The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have given reasons why the number of teams participating in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) was increased from 12 to 16.
Host Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa and Senegal were the initial 12 teams that qualified after the completion of the qualifiers on October 28 but the governing body have now included four more teams for the 2026 championship.
According to a statement issued by CAF on Wednesday, “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, starting with the next edition to be staged in Morocco from 17 March-3 April 2026.
As the qualification phase for the 2026 edition has already been completed, the Executive Committee has approved the selection mechanism to determine the four additional Teams.
Based on the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the top four teams from those eliminated in the final qualifying round have been selected to complete the list of participants.
The following teams will therefore join the finals of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Morocco 2026:
Cameroon (66th in the FIFA ranking), Cote d’Ivoire (71), Mali (79) and Egypt (95).”
CAF said, “The decision is in line with it’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 competition, contributing to its continued growth and global reach.”
The next edition has been scheduled to hold from March 17 to April 3.
Super Falcons of Nigeria who are the most successful team with 10 titles, won the delayed 2024 edition in July.
Credit: Tayo Ogunseye
