A continental title is not the only thing on the line at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which begins today (Sunday).
The four countries who reach the semifinals of this competition will also earn automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four beaten quarterfinalists going into a playoff bracket that offers its winners a shot at securing their ticket to the finals via a six-team inter-continental playoff being staged in late 2026 and early 2027.
The added pressure makes the plethora of storylines at this tournament that much more enticing as things finally get started, after months of delay, in host nation Morocco.
Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th.
Morocco have yet to claim a title despite reaching the final in the past two editions of the tournament, both of which they also hosted. Will third time be the charm? Or will last year’s third-place finishers, Ghana, show just how much they have grown as a team?
Malawi, equipped with the lethal attacking powers of the Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, are eyeing a strong WAFCON debut that could also lead them to their first World Cup appearance. Unfortunately for them, they face the attacking prowess of Zambia trio Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji and Prisca Chilufya in a difficult group alongside Nigeria and Egypt.
A tournament that’s been postponed from its original March-April slot and also unexpectedly expanded to 16 teams from the usual 12 while the qualification competition was underway, this WAFCON is set to be the biggest yet — not only for the number of nations taking part but the brightness of the stars on show and magnitude of the stakes.
Let’s take a closer look…
Tournament format, host and groups
WAFCON is Africa’s most prestigious women’s football tournament, with this edition featuring 16 of the continent’s top teams. The biennial competition (its previous edition was put back from 2024 to last July) is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the sport’s official governing body there.
The 22-day tournament kicks off today (Sunday, July 26) and ends August 16.
It begins with a group stage, followed by three single-elimination knockout rounds. There are four groups of four teams, who play each other in a round-robin format. The top two from each group advance to the quarterfinals. There are then semifinals, a third-place playoff and the final to decide Africa’s champions.
- Group A: Algeria, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal
- Group B: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Tanzania
- Group C: Egypt, Malawi, Nigeria, Zambia
- Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Ghana, Mali.
Morocco is hosting the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the third consecutive edition. (Abdel Majid Bziouat / AFP via Getty Images)
Morocco will be the first nation to stage the tournament three consecutive times, previously hosting in 2022 and 2024.
WAFCON 2026 was originally scheduled to begin in March, but the competition was postponed only 12 days before it was set to begin. CAF said the decision was made “to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances”.
Matches will be hosted across five stadiums in two cities — Rabat and Casablanca.
The stadiums in Rabat:
- Moulay El Hassan Stadium (capacity of 22,000)
- Olympic Stadium (21,000)
- Al Medina Stadium (18,000)
The stadiums in Casablanca:
- Larbi Zaouli Stadium (20,000)
- Moulay Rachid Stadium (25,000)
Most importantly, as well as deciding the African champions, the tournament serves as the qualification path for the continent’s nations into the World Cup next June and July in Brazil. The four semifinalists secure automatic berths, with the losing quarterfinalists immediately contesting a playoff bracket. The winners of that join teams from the five other confederations around the globe in an inter-continental playoff round in November/December and next February to decide three more qualifiers for the World Cup.
There have been 13 WAFCON winners since the tournament began in 1998. Ten-time champions Nigeria were also the most recent winners a year ago. South Africa won in 2022, and Equatorial Guinea are two-time champions (2012, 2008).
Which NWSL players are involved?
Several NWSL clubs will feel the strain of some of their biggest stars heading to WAFCON mid-season. A total of 12 players from the league will be competing, representing seven of its clubs and eight African countries.
In its original March-April timeframe, WAFCON 2026 would have posed minimal threat to these NWSL teams’ rosters. However, the tournament’s current kickoff falls in a crucial period for the league.
The Orlando Pride will try to make do without Banda, currently leading the NWSL’s Golden Boot race. Kansas City Current will be without their own star striker and two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga, as she reunites with her sister, Tabitha, on the international stage. But no team will feel the absences more than the Washington Spirit, who have six players away in Morocco.
Two-time NWSL MVP with the Kansas City Current, Temwa Chawinga, will look to lead Malawi in their first WAFCON tournament. (Luiza Moraes / Getty Images)
- Washington Spirit: Mélissa Bethi (Algeria), Alimata Bélem (Burkina Faso), Monique Ngock (Cameroon), Rosemonde Kouassi (Ivory Coast), Deborah Abiodun, Gift Monday (both Nigeria)
- Kansas City Current: Temwa Chawinga (Malawi)
- Boston Legacy: Aïssata Traoré (Mali)
- Chicago Stars: Michelle Alozie (Nigeria)
- Orlando Pride: Barbra Banda (Zambia)
- Bay FC: Racheal Kundananji (Zambia)
- Angel City FC: Prisca Chilufya (Zambia)
What about WSL players?
Just two players competing in this edition of WAFCON play their club football in the English Women’s Super League. Both are from Nigeria: goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie of Brighton and Hove Albion and defender Rofiat Imuran of the London City Lionesses.
How can we see the tournament?
The North American broadcast rights for WAFCON are held by beIN Sports, with matches viewable on beinsports.com or through any streaming service that carries the provider. The Qatar-based network will also provide access across the Middle East and North Africa.
In the UK, Channel 4 will broadcast all WAFCON matches free. For the first time, DAZN has acquired the broadcast rights to WAFCON for Germany and “surrounding territories”, according to CAF’s website, along with Canal+ in French-speaking African countries.
CAF will stream select matches live on its YouTube channel, named CAF TV, and make highlights available globally.
FIFA+ will also make some matches available for streaming via its free digital platform, depending on local licensing agreements.
Three key matches to watch
- Ivory Coast vs. Burkina Faso (Monday, July 27; 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT/9 p.m. BST)
This will be of special importance to Washington Spirit fans. The club’s Ivorian winger Rosemonde Kouassi will face off against one of the Spirit’s newest signings in Alimata Bélem, a defender for Burkina Faso. Both teams missed out on qualification for the 2025 WAFCON, and with Ivory Coast part of this edition’s expanded format, they will be keen to capitalize on the opportunity. This will be Ivory Coast’s third WAFCON finals to Burkina Faso’s second. Ivory Coast’s best finish was third in 2014, Burkina Faso have yet to advance from their group, or even win a game.
- Morocco vs. Algeria (Thursday, July 30; 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT/9 p.m. BST)
A showdown between the two North African giants in the women’s game. Back-to-back beaten finalists Morocco will need to establish themselves against a defensive-minded Algeria side who didn’t concede any goals in their WAFCON campaign a year ago, keeping four clean sheets before losing to Ghana on penalties in the quarterfinals (though they only scored once themselves across the four matches).
Another shout for Spirit fans, too: Algeria midfielder Mélissa Bethi recently signed with the team from FC Nantes in France.
- Malawi vs. Zambia (Wednesday, Aug. 5; 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT/9 p.m. BST)
Group C, made up of the two Southern African teams plus Nigeria and Egypt, culminates with a meeting between these two regional rivals. Only the top two teams will advance to the quarterfinals (and Brazil 2027), so there is potentially a lot on the line.
Zambia have been vulnerable on defense and may have to deal with the Chawinga sisters here. Malawi might be tasked with holding off Banda, Kundanandji and Chilufya. A step toward the World Cup sweetens the bragging rights in this final group-stage game, which can’t be missed.
