The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, barely two weeks before the tournament was scheduled to kick off, citing what it described as “certain unforeseen circumstances.”
The competition, originally slated to take place from March 17 to April 3, will now run from July 25 to August 16, 2026, CAF announced in a statement on Wednesday. The tournament also serves as the qualifying stage for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
CAF said the decision to reschedule the tournament followed consultations with FIFA, partners, and other stakeholders to ensure the successful organisation of the women’s competition.
The football governing body, however, assured that preparations for the biennial tournament are ongoing and expressed confidence that the event will be successful.
CAF had awarded Morocco the hosting rights for the tournament in October 2024. Nigeria, a record 10-time champion, won the last edition of the competition, which was also hosted by the North African country.
The Nigerian women’s national football team, popularly known as the Super Falcons, has been drawn in Group C of the 16-team tournament alongside the Zambia women’s national football team (Copper Queens), the Malawi women’s national football team (Scorchers), and the Egypt women’s national football team (Cleopatras).
As part of preparations for the championship, the Super Falcons recently defeated the Cameroon women’s national football team in an international friendly. Nigeria won the match in Yaoundé after losing 1–0 in the first leg of the two-game fixture.
When the tournament begins, Coach Justin Madugu’s side will be aiming to reach at least the semi-finals to secure one of Africa’s tickets to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
The global tournament is scheduled to take place from June 24 to July 25, 2027, in Brazil.
