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 begin.
In a statement released Wednesday, CAF said the decision to shift the competition was due to what it described as “certain unforeseen circumstances.”
The tournament, originally scheduled to run from March 17 to April 3, will now take place from July 25 to August 16, 2026.
CAF explained that the new timetable places the continental showpiece shortly after the 2026 men’s World Cup.
According to the governing body, the decision followed consultations with partners, FIFA and other stakeholders to ensure the successful staging of Africa’s flagship women’s football tournament.
Despite the delay, CAF assured that preparations for the competition are ongoing and expressed confidence that the event will be successfully organised.
Morocco was officially awarded the hosting rights for the tournament in October 2024.
The North African country also staged the previous edition of the biennial championship, which was won by Nigeria.
The Nigeria women’s national football team, who are record 10-time champions, have been drawn in Group C of the 16-team tournament alongside Zambia’s Copper Queens, Malawi’s Scorchers and Egypt’s Cleopatras.
As part of their preparations, the Super Falcons recently secured a morale-boosting victory over rivals Cameroon in a friendly match in Yaoundé, overturning a 1-0 defeat suffered in the first leg of the two-game fixture.
When the competition eventually kicks off, Coach Justin Madugu’s side will be targeting at least a semi-final finish to secure one of Africa’s four qualification spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The global tournament is scheduled to run from June 24 to July 25, 2027.
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