The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, originally scheduled for 17 March to 3 April, will now be held from 25 July to 16 August. According to CAF, this postponement is intended to ensure the smooth running of the competition in Morocco.
After many rumours, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) officially confirmed on 5 March the postponement of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in Morocco. Originally set from 17 March to 3 April, the Women’s AFCON will now be held from 25 July to 16 August. At the request of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, this change comes just 12 days before the initial start of the competition.
“After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF has decided to reschedule the dates of the Women’s AFCON. The competition will now take place from 25 July to 16 August 2026. The decision was taken, according to CAF, to ‘ensure the success of this important women’s competition, given certain unforeseen circumstances.’
Audio Statement – Confederation of African Football
This AFCON will feature an innovation with the expansion from 12 to 16 national teams, confirmed by CAF at the end of 2025 to enhance competitiveness. The qualified teams are Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt.
We were in Morocco in 2022 for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and we had more than 60,000 spectators come to watch women’s football. A lot of good work has been done, you can see that the quality is improving and also, very importantly, some of the best players in Europe come from Africa, so we are very optimistic and this also highlights the investment we need to continue to make in women’s football, in professional football, in club football on the continent, but also in encouraging more academies for female footballers.
Audio Statement – Confederation of African Football
As a reminder, as stated by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, the Women’s AFCON is of vital importance as it serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to be held in Brazil.
