The Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026, initially scheduled to take place in Morocco from March 17 to April 3, has been postponed and will now be held from July 25 to August 16. The announcement was made by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
This postponement comes as many national teams had already begun their preparations for the tournament. CAF justified this date change by stating their desire to ensure the smooth running of the competition and maximize its success for players, teams and fans.
The tournament will retain its original format with 16 participating teams. This expansion, formalized in November 2025, will allow a greater number of African nations to compete for the continental title. Morocco will host the competition for the third consecutive time. The host cities will be Casablanca, Fez and Rabat.
The Women's AFCON 2026 will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. The top four teams will automatically qualify, while two others will have a chance to qualify via play-off matches.
This change of date has consequences on the sporting planning of the national teams, which must reorganize their training programs. In addition, the tournament will take place at the same time as other major competitions, such as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.
CAF confirmed that four additional teams had been selected based on the FIFA Women's World Rankings to complete the list of 16 participating teams: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Egypt. They join the 12 nations already qualified: Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa and Senegal.
The postponement of the Women's AFCON 2026 comes after rumors of a possible change of host country, rumors quickly denied by CAF. The tournament will indeed take place in Morocco, but at a later date.
