CAF Increase 2026 WAFCON to 16 Teams, Adds Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, and Egypt

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the expansion of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, beginning with the 2026 edition scheduled to hold in Morocco from March 17 to April 3, 2026.

In a statement released on its official website on Wednesday, CAF explained that the decision aligns with its strategic plan to enhance competition and accelerate the growth of women’s football across Africa.

Since the qualification process for the 2026 tournament had already concluded before the expansion decision, the CAF Executive Committee approved a selection mechanism to determine the four additional participating teams.

According to CAF, the four teams—Cameroon (66th in FIFA rankings), Cote d’Ivoire (71st), Mali (79th), and Egypt (95th)—were chosen based on their FIFA Women’s World Rankings among those eliminated in the final qualifying round.

They will join the 12 nations that had already qualified: Morocco (hosts), Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, and Senegal.

CAF emphasized that the expansion will give more African countries the opportunity to compete at the continental level and boost the global visibility of women’s football from Africa. The 2026 WAFCON will also serve as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.