Equatorial Guinea, former champions, will miss the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) after a surprising loss in the first round of qualifying on Wednesday.

In the second leg of their match against Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea was down 3-1. They could only manage a 1-1 draw at home, despite Tanzania being ranked 63 places lower.

Equatorial Guinea won the tournament in 2008 and 2012 but has not reached a Wafcon since 2018 when they finished last in their group.

In another surprising result, Kenya’s goalkeeper Lilian Awuor saved two penalties, helping her team eliminate Tunisia with a 1-0 win in North Africa. The Harambee Starlets scored early with a goal from Tereza Engesha, despite being ranked 71 places lower than Tunisia.

Botswana has been eliminated from the 2024 tournament without playing. They drew 0-0 away against DR Congo, who will participate in the finals, and ended up losing 2-0 on aggregate.

Togo and Mali were strong winners. Togo defeated Djibouti 10-0 on aggregate, while Mali beat Gabon 10-1 overall.

The second round of qualifiers will take place in October and will decide which 11 teams will join Morocco, the host, at the 2026 tournament. The reigning champions South Africa, along with Zambia and Nigeria, received a bye to the second round because of their high rankings.

The Confederation of African Football has not yet announced the dates for the 2026 Wafcon finals.

In other first-round matches, Ethiopia came back from a 2-0 deficit against Uganda, winning 2-0 on Wednesday and then 5-4 on penalties. Namibia also moved on after defeating Eswatini 1-0 for a 4-0 aggregate victory.

Burkina Faso will play Togo after winning against Burundi 5-1. DR Congo will face Wafcon holders South Africa after beating Botswana.

Kenya’s win over Tunisia means they will play The Gambia, who is ranked 23 places higher and won 4-1 on aggregate against Niger.

Mali will face Cape Verde, who won convincingly against Guinea with a 4-1 score, ttotalling6-3 on aggregate.

Benin will compete against 11-time champions Nigeria after beating Sierra Leone 5-2.

Egypt, trying to qualify for the finals for the first time since 2016, progressed after drawing 2-2 with Rwanda and winning 3-2 overall. They will play Ghana next.

Algeria will face Cameroon after defeating South Sudan 8-0 on aggregate.

Malawi received a bye since Congo-Brazzaville was suspended from international football. Senegal also moved on after Chad withdrew from qualifying.

In the second round, Senegal will play Ivory Coast, and Malawi will face Angola, who advanced by beating Zimbabwe 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate tie.

Wafcon 2026 qualifying first-round results

• Zimbabwe 2-1 Angola (3-3 agg) – Angola win 5-4 on penalties
• Congo-Brazzaville P-P Malawi – Malawi progress via walkover
• DR Congo 0-0 Botswana (2-0 agg)
• Equatorial Guinea 1-1 Tanzania (2-4 agg)
• Ethiopia 2-0 Uganda (2-2 agg) – Ethiopia win 5-4 on penalties
• Namibia 1-0 Eswatini (4-0 agg)
• Burkina Faso 4-1 Burundi (5-1 agg)
• Togo 5-0 Djibouti (10-0 agg)
• Algeria 3-0 South Sudan (8-0 agg)
• Egypt 2-2 Rwanda (3-2 agg)
• Kenya 1-0 Tunisia (1-0 agg)
• The Gambia 2-1 Niger (4-1 agg)
• Sierra Leone 1-3 Benin (2-5 agg)
• Cape Verde 4-1 Guinea (6-3 agg)
• Mali 4-1 Gabon (10-1 agg)
• Senegal P-P Chad – Senegal progress after Chad withdrew