The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), just two weeks before the tournament was set to begin.
Originally set to kick off on March 17 to April 3, 2026 the 2026 Africa Women Cup of Nations in Morocco will now be held from July 25 to August 16, the Confederatin of African Football has announced.
CAF said the rescheduling was aimed at ensuring the competition runs smoothly.
“Following discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF has decided to reschedule the CAF WAFCON 2026 dates to July 25 – August 16, 2026, in order to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in light of certain unforeseen circumstances,” the continent’s football governing body said in a statement on Thursday.
The final will for the first time bring together 16 national teams, up from 12 in previous editions. The qualified sides are Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Egypt.
Group A features Morocco, Senegal, Algeria and Kenya. Group B comprises Tanzania, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire. Group C brings together Zambia, Nigeria, Egypt and Malawi. Group D is made up of Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and Cape Verde.
This edition will also serve as the continental qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be held in Brazil.
In October 2024, the Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) granted the hosting rights for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (“WAFCON”) 2026 to Morocco and this tournament was scheduled for 17 March to 3 April 2026.
After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAFdecided to reschedule the dates of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026, to 25 July – 16 August 2026; to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforseen circumstances.
The continental governing body also cited unforeseen circumstances as a reason for the postponement.
Kenya’s national women’s football team, Harambee Starlets, were among 24 nations preparing to compete at the continental showpiece.
Harambee Starlets had been pooled in Group A with hosts Morocco, Senegal, and Algeria.
Coach Beldine Odemba’s charges have spent the week in the Ivory Coast, where they played two international friendlies against Benin and the hosts, losing by a solitary goal on both occasions.
They were then expected to head to Miramas, France, for a high-performance camp before departing for Morocco for the start of the competition.