The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially expanded the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, marking a major leap forward for women’s football across the continent. The expansion will take effect from the 2026 edition scheduled to take place in Morocco between March 17 and April 3, 2026.
In a statement released on Wednesday through its official website, CAF said the decision aligns with its long-term strategic vision to strengthen competitiveness and accelerate the growth of women’s football in Africa.
Okay News reports that CAF’s Executive Committee approved a special selection process to determine the four additional teams, as the qualification phase for the 2026 WAFCON had already concluded.
According to the statement, “Based on the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the top four teams from those eliminated in the final qualifying round have been selected to complete the list of participants.”
The newly added teams include Cameroon (ranked 66th globally), Côte d’Ivoire (71st), Mali (79th), and Egypt (95th). These nations will join the 12 countries that had already secured qualification: Morocco (hosts), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Senegal.
CAF explained that the expansion reflects its commitment to ensuring broader participation and exposure for African nations while increasing global visibility for women’s football from the continent.
The 2026 WAFCON will also serve as the African qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted in Brazil.
This historic development, analysts say, underlines CAF’s determination to elevate the women’s game to new heights and provide a stronger platform for African female footballers to compete on the world stage.
