Cameroon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali Complete Line-up for 2026 WAFCON

Cameroon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and Mali have completed the 16-team line-up for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) used FIFA world rankings to determine the final qualifiers.

The decision follows CAF’s expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams midway through the qualification process for next year’s finals in Morocco.

Reigning champions Nigeria were among 11 teams that sealed qualification during last month’s second and final round. Teams eliminated at that stage had expected a play-off route to the finals, but CAF instead awarded the remaining four slots to the highest-ranked nations that fell short.

As a result, Cameroon (ranked 66th in the world), Côte d’Ivoire (71st), Mali (79th) and Egypt (95th) will join the tournament.

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Mali reached the quarter-finals at the delayed 2024 edition, while three-time runners-up Cameroon returned after missing the last tournament. Côte d’Ivoire will make their first appearance since 2014, and Egypt return to the competition for the first time since 2016.

CAF has not yet confirmed official dates for WAFCON 2026, though FIFA previously earmarked the competition to run from 17 March to 3 April 2026 in Morocco. The date for the tournament draw is yet to be announced.

The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, while the losing quarter-finalists will contest play-offs for two additional spots at an inter-confederation qualifier.

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