The Executive Committee of the Confédération of African Football (CAF) on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, revealed that it had approved the expansion of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, starting with the next edition to be staged in Morocco.

In the revised structure, the 2026 edition in Morocco will now have four teams joining the 12 teams that qualified directly from the rigorous qualification phase that included Kenya’s Harambee Starlets.

The four teams are Cameroon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali.

Beldine Odemba’s charges joined reigning champions, Nigeria, among 11 teams that sealed qualification during last month’s second and final round.

Kenya eliminated The Gambia on a 4-1 aggregate victory to make history by breaking a nine-year wait, having last qualified for the games in 2016.

Teams eliminated at that stage had expected a playoff route to the finals, but CAF instead awarded the remaining four slots to the highest-ranked nations that fell short.

According to the CAF, the four were settled on through a unique selection mechanism.

CAF stated that the decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent.

Additionally, it will allow more nations to participate in African women’s football’s flagship competition, contributing to its continued growth and global reach.

Permutations

Also Read: Harambee Stars and the teams that have qualified for WAFCON 2026 finals

WAFCON also serves as the continental qualifier for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.

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

The foregoing comes as qualified teams brace for the start of the competition due in March 2026.

The inclusion of the superiorly ranked teams, however, portends ill for the lowly ranked opponents who fought tooth and nail to seal their berth in the continental games, such as Kenya and Burkina Faso, who will be making their second appearance, and Malawi and Cape Verde, the two nations primed for their debut appearance.

WAFCON 2026 Teams

1. Morocco (Host) (5th Appearance)

2. Algeria (7th Appearance)

3. Burkina Faso (2nd Appearance)

4. Cape Verde (Debutant)

5. Ghana (12th Appearance)

6. Kenya (2nd Appearance)

7. Malawi (Debutant)

8. Nigeria (14th Appearance)

9. Senegal (4th Appearance)

10. South Africa (14th Appearance)

11. Tanzania (3rd Appearance)

12. Zambia (5th Appearance)

Also included: Cameroon, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali.