The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is set to expand the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, starting with the 2026 edition in Morocco, www.aclsports.com reports.
This comes after the recent FIFA press release confirming that the 2026 tournament will be staged from March 17 to April 3, 2026.
It will mark the third expansion in WAFCON history, from eight teams initially, to 12 in 2022, and now 16 in 2026, underscoring CAF’s continued efforts to create more opportunities for women’s national teams across Africa.
Further details are expected to be approved at the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; where they will outline how the additional slots will be allocated under the new format, as the qualifying rounds for the previous 12-team structure have already reached the final stage.
The 2026 WAFCON will also serve as the African qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the top four teams qualifying.
Nigeria, the defending champions and record 10-time winners, are expected to be among the top contenders again as more countries join the fray.
The expansion has been widely praised as a progressive step toward making WAFCON more competitive and inclusive, giving more African nations the chance to shine on the continent’s biggest stage.
