2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations: Draw, Dates, Teams, Groups, Venues
The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) draw has been completed, confirming the groups, teams, and host venues for the tournament scheduled to take place in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April 2026.
This will be the 14th edition of the competition and the first to feature 16 teams, following an expansion from the previous 12-team format. Morocco will host the tournament for the third consecutive time.
Nigeria enter the competition as defending champions after defeating hosts Morocco in the 2025 final to claim their 10th WAFCON title.
Out of the 16 qualified teams, nine also competed at the 2024 tournament. Botswana, DR Congo, and Tunisia failed to qualify this time, while Cabo Verde and Malawi will make their tournament debuts.
Beyond continental glory, the tournament also serves as a qualification pathway for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will qualify automatically, while the losing quarter-finalists will contest playoffs for Africa’s remaining spots in the inter-confederation playoffs.
The draw ceremony took place at the Mohamed VI Football Complex in Rabat and was conducted with assistance from former Kenya international Beldine Odemba and Morocco goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi. Teams were seeded into four pots based on the FIFA Women’s World Rankings of 11 December 2025.
Hosts Morocco were placed in Group A, while champions Nigeria were assigned to Group C.
Venues
Rabat: Groups A and B
Casablanca: Group C
Fes: Group D
CAF will announce the full fixture schedule and kick-off times at a later date.
WAFCON 2026 Groups
Group A (Rabat)
Morocco
Algeria
Senegal
Kenya
Group B (Rabat)
South Africa
Côte d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Tanzania
Group C (Casablanca)
Nigeria
Zambia
Egypt
Malawi
Group D (Fes)
Ghana
Cameroon
Mali
Cabo Verde
The stage is now set for one of the most competitive editions of WAFCON yet, with expanded participation and World Cup qualification on the line.
______
0 Comments