CAF expands WAFCON to 16 teams

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially expanded the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, beginning with the next edition scheduled to take place in Morocco from March 17 to April 3, 2026,

CAF’s Executive Committee approved the decision as part of its broader strategy to enhance the development and competitiveness of women’s football across the continent.

The governing body said the expansion would provide more nations with the opportunity to participate at the highest level and promote the continued growth of the women’s game in Africa.

Since the qualification process for the 2026 tournament has already concluded, CAF adopted a special mechanism to select the four additional teams. Using the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the four highest-ranked teams that were eliminated in the final qualifying round — Cameroon (66th), Côte d’Ivoire (71st), Mali (79th), and Egypt (95th) — have been added to the final list of participants.

They will now join the 12 already qualified countries: hosts Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Senegal.

CAF noted that the 2026 WAFCON will also serve as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, providing an expanded platform for African women’s football on the global stage.