The Confederation of African Football has moved the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from March to a new July-August window, ending weeks of speculation about the tournament’s readiness.
CAF announced the decision on Thursday, March 5, in a statement on its website, saying the competition will now take place from July 25 to August 16 instead of the originally planned March 17 to April 3 dates.
The rescheduling follows discussions between CAF, FIFA and other stakeholders involved in organizing the continental championship, which Morocco won the right to host in October 2024.
According to CAF, the postponement was needed to guarantee a successful tournament.
“After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF decided to reschedule the dates of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 to 25 July – 16 August 2026 to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances,” the organisation said.
CAF added that preparations are continuing and expressed confidence the event will be successful.
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“Preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 are underway and all the parties are confident that it will be very successful,” the statement said.
The postponement comes amid concerns that several key arrangements had not been finalized ahead of the original start date.
Venues for knockout matches, media and official accreditations, and technical workshops had yet to be confirmed, while promotional activities for the competition were also noticeably lacking.
For Nigeria’s Super Falcons, the defending champions, the delay may provide extra time to prepare for their title defense.
The 10-Time African champions recently played two friendlies against Cameroon in Yaoundé, losing the first 1-0 before winning the second 3-1.
First Daily reports that the 2026 WAFCON also doubles as Africa’s qualifying route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the global competition, while a fifth African team will have a chance to qualify through an intercontinental playoff.