The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will expand from 12 to 16 teams beginning with the 2026 edition, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced.
Next year’s tournament in Morocco had initially been set to feature 12 teams, and qualification for the finals has already reached the second and final round. However, the expansion is expected to introduce an additional preliminary round, with 11 remaining nations set to compete for four available spots.
CAF is expected to release more details after its executive committee concludes meetings currently taking place in Kinshasa.
From its inception in 1998 until the 2018 edition in Ghana, WAFCON featured eight teams. The 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the competition returned in 2022 with an expanded 12-team format.
CAF has continued to invest in developing women’s football on the continent. At this year’s tournament in Morocco, the total prize money was boosted by 45 percent to $3.45 million (£2.6 million). Champions Nigeria received $1 million (£750,000) after securing a record 10th WAFCON title.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed satisfaction with the growth of the women’s game.
“I am pleased with the progress we’ve made in women’s African football,” he said. “Part of my starting point is making sure men and women are paid well and they can make a career out of football. I can assure you women’s football will continue to improve because that is an area we are focusing on a lot.”
— BBC
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