CAF Confirms January 15 Draw for Expanded 2026 WAFCON in Morocco

Racheal Kundananji of Zambia challenged by Hanane Ait El Haj of Morocco during the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Zambia at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 5 July 2025 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the final draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will take place on January 15 in Rabat, Morocco.

The tournament, to be hosted by Morocco from March 17 to April 3, will feature 16 teams for the first time and will also serve as a qualification pathway to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Teams that have already qualified for the competition include hosts Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa and Senegal.

Following the expansion of the tournament, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Egypt also secured qualification based on their FIFA rankings.

Nigeria are the defending champions after defeating Morocco 2–1 in last year’s final to claim the title for a record 11th time.

Zambia’s Copper Queens were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage by the eventual champions following a heavy 5–0 defeat and will be eager to make amends, particularly with a Women’s World Cup berth at stake.

Calvin Kaumba Chikenge January 8, 2026

Share this Article

Posted by Calvin Kaumba Chikenge

Follow:

Calvin Kaumba Chikenge is an award-winning Zambian multimedia sports journalist well known for his exclusive stories and feature writing. He was voted 2023/24 MTN/FAZ Super League journalist of the year. In addition to reporting on sports for Spring TV, he interned for the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper. He is the current Ballon d'Or juror and has contributed to numerous international publications, including the Guardian in the UK, and is the editor of BolaNews.