CAF announces expansion of TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to 16 teams from 2026
The Executive Committee of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has approved the expansion of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, starting with the next edition to be staged in Morocco from 17 March-3 April 2026.
As the qualification phase for the 2026 edition has already been completed, the Executive Committee has approved the selection mechanism to determine the four additional Teams.
Based on the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the top four teams from those eliminated in the final qualifying round have been selected to complete the list of participants.
The following teams will therefore join the finals of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Morocco 2026:
Cameroon (66th in the FIFA ranking), Cote d’Ivoire (71), Mali (79) and Egypt (95).
They are in addition to the 12 nations already qualified for the tournament: Morocco (host country), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa and Senegal.
The decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent.
This will allow more nations to participate in African women’s football’s flagship competition, contributing to its continued growth and global reach.
The TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON also serves as the continental qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.
