The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced an increase in the size of its premier women’s tournament. The TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will be expanded from 12 to 16 participating teams.
This new format will commence with the upcoming 2026 edition, which is scheduled to take place in Morocco from March 17 to April 3, 2026.
CAF stated on Wednesday that this decision aligns with its strategic vision. The goal is to strengthen competition and significantly accelerate the growth of women’s football across the continent.
Selection of Four Additional Teams
Since the qualification phase for the 2026 tournament had already concluded, the CAF Executive Committee approved a specific selection mechanism to determine the four additional teams.
The selection was based on the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings. The four highest-ranked teams that were eliminated during the final qualifying round were chosen to complete the expanded list of participants.
The four teams joining the finals of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Morocco 2026 are:
- Cameroon (ranked 66th)
- Côte d’Ivoire (ranked 71st)
- Mali (ranked 79th)
- Egypt (ranked 95th)
These four nations will join the original twelve teams that had already qualified: Morocco (hosts), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Senegal.
Boosting Global Exposure
CAF noted that the expansion is expected to have multiple benefits. It will enable more African nations to gain crucial exposure on the continental stage.
Furthermore, this growth in participation will boost the global visibility of women’s football emanating from Africa.
The 2026 WAFCON tournament will also serve a dual role. It will be the official African qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Brazil.
US Lawmaker Slams China: “Will Not Dictate Our Foreign Policy”
Armenian Dram
Ghana Cedi
Gambian Dalasi
Guinea Franc
Nigerian Naira
CFA Franc BEAC
