CAF expands 2026 WAFCON to 16 teams in Morocco

The Confederation of African Football has expanded the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations from 12 to 16 teams, adding Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Egypt to the field for the tournament set to run from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco. The executive committee approved the change after the qualification phase concluded, selecting the four additional sides from those eliminated in the final qualifying round on the basis of their current FIFA women's rankings, CAF said.

CAF announced that the four teams chosen to fill the new slots are Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Egypt. In its statement the confederation said the decision was made to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women's football across the continent. CAF also listed the relevant FIFA rankings for the added teams as Cameroon 66, Côte d'Ivoire 71, Mali 79 and Egypt 95.

The expansion means the tournament will now include the 12 sides that had already secured places plus the four additions. The confirmed participants therefore include holders Nigeria, past champions South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia, with Morocco competing as hosts.