Rabat, Morocco – The Confederation of African Football has officially postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, moving the tournament from its earlier March schedule to a new date between July and August 2026.
The continental football governing body, which oversees the sport across Africa, confirmed the change in a statement published on Thursday, March 5, 2026. The competition will now take place from Saturday, July 25 to Sunday, August 16, 2026, instead of the previously announced dates of Tuesday, March 17 to Friday, April 3, 2026.
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is Africa’s flagship women’s national team football tournament. Morocco, a North African country, secured the hosting rights in October 2024 and has been preparing to stage the event.
According to the statement, the decision followed consultations between the FIFA, which is the global governing body for football, and other stakeholders involved in organising the competition.
“After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF decided to reschedule the dates of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 to 25 July – 16 August 2026 to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances,” the organisation said.
The governing body added that preparations are continuing and expressed confidence in the success of the tournament.
“Preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 are underway and all the parties are confident that it will be very successful,” the statement added.
The postponement comes after concerns grew about the readiness of certain arrangements ahead of the initial March kickoff. Several pre-competition logistics had not yet been finalised, including venues for knockout matches, accreditation processes for journalists, match officials and technical workshops. Promotional activities around the tournament were also limited.
Okay News reports that the adjustment in dates could provide additional preparation time for participating teams, including defending champions Nigeria. Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, known as the Super Falcons, recently completed a two-match friendly series against Cameroon in Yaoundé, the capital of the Central African country. Nigeria lost the first match 1–0 before winning the return fixture 3–1.
Beyond continental prestige, the tournament carries global significance. It will serve as Africa’s qualification pathway for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted in Brazil. Under the qualification format, the four semi-finalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while one additional African team will have an opportunity to secure a place through an intercontinental play-off.
The revised schedule now gives organisers and participating nations several extra months to finalise logistics, team preparations and promotional efforts ahead of what is expected to be one of the continent’s most important women’s sporting events in 2026.
