The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the final four teams that will make the 16 teams in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt secured their spots based on their FIFA rankings. This announcement came after a CAF statement on 3 November 2025, following the completion of the qualifiers held under the previous 12-team format. Since the competition will expand to 16 teams starting in 2026, CAF decided to bring back the highest-ranked teams that were eliminated in the final qualifying round to ensure fairness.
All four teams return to the tournament after close losses in the qualifying matches. Cameroon lost to Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire was beaten by Burkina Faso, Mali lost to Equatorial Guinea, and Egypt fell to Senegal, but their FIFA rankings now allow them to compete in the finals.
The 2026 tournament will take place in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April. It will also serve as Africa’s qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the top four teams earning a place in Brazil.
The 16 teams for the 2026 WAFCON include Morocco (the host), Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria (the defending champions), Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia, along with Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt. With the teams confirmed, everyone is now looking forward to a historic 16-team WAFCON in Morocco.
