The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), the continent’s flagship biennial women’s football tournament, is set to kick off this Sunday in Morocco, with two major high-stakes rewards on offer for competing teams: direct qualification to the upcoming 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup and a record-breaking $2 million first-place prize purse.
This year’s edition marks a historic expansion of the tournament, growing from 12 participating nations at the previous tournament to 16 teams, all vying for continental glory. As 10-time WAFCON champions and the defending title holders, Nigeria’s Super Falcons enter the competition as the clear pre-tournament favorites, carrying the momentum of a dramatic 2022 final victory that saw them come back from a two-goal half-time deficit to beat host nation Morocco 3-2 with a late winning goal from midfielder Jennifer Echegini.
Echegini, who plies her trade at Paris Saint-Germain, returns to the squad this year alongside the other two goal scorers from that iconic final: Canada-based forward Esther Okoronkwo and Chinese Super League attacker Folashade Ijamilusi, all hungry to add another continental title to their resumes. For the Super Falcons, the roadmap to success starts with securing one of four automatic World Cup qualification spots reserved for African semi-finalists, according to head coach Justine Madugu.
“Our first priority is reaching the semi-finals and clinching one of four World Cup places automatically reserved for Africa,” Madugu told reporters ahead of the tournament opener. “Our second goal is to defend the trophy and bring it back to Nigeria. We know it will not be easy because every other nation wants to depose us. We have in our possession something precious that everybody else wants. However, we will remain resolute and focused and try to achieve both objectives.”
Madugu has assembled a 25-player roster that blends veteran experience with emerging young talent, drawn from clubs across the globe ranging from Mexico and Israel to China. The squad includes just one home-based player, goalkeeper Fatima Oloko of Abia Angels, while the Super Falcons will be captained by Rasheedat Ajibade, Echegini’s PSG teammate. The team also boasts Chiamaka Nnadozie, the Brighton & Hove Albion shot-stopper widely recognized as the top women’s goalkeeper on the continent. One notable absence from the 2022 winning squad is defender Ashleigh Plumptre, the England-born Al-Ittihad player who has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury.
Drawn into Group C, Nigeria will face a challenging opening round that includes strong contender Zambia, disciplined Egypt, and first-time WAFCON participants Malawi. Zambia boasts two of the most dangerous attacking players in African women’s football: Racheal Kundananji, who made headlines in 2024 when she transferred from Madrid CFF to America’s Bay FC for a then-world record transfer fee, and consistent goal scorer Barbra Banda. While Malawi enter the tournament as underdogs, they field a formidable attacking pair in the Chawinga sisters: Tabitha of Lyon and Temwa of Kansas City Current.
Across the four groups, the tournament features a mix of continental powerhouse and rising contenders. In the 13 editions of WAFCON held since 1991, only two other nations have lifted the trophy besides Nigeria: Equatorial Guinea, which won twice, and South Africa, which claimed the 2022 title. Equatorial Guinea failed to qualify for this year’s tournament, while South Africa enters as the top seed in Group B, where they will face Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
Host nation Morocco, which finished as runner-up in both of the past two WAFCON tournaments it hosted, will kick off Group A play against Algeria, Senegal and Kenya. The July 30 matchup between Morocco and Algeria is already expected to be a tense affair, carried by the long-standing strained political relations between the North African neighbors, rooted in the disputed phosphate-rich Western Sahara territory and historical border disagreements.
Group D is rounded out by 2022 bronze medalists Ghana, three-time tournament runners-up Cameroon, and first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, who will look to replicate the incredible success of their men’s national team at the 2024 FIFA World Cup.
A total of 34 matches will be hosted across five stadiums, with three venues in the capital city of Rabat and two in Morocco’s commercial hub Casablanca. The tournament also includes two classification matches between quarter-final losers, which will decide which African team earns a spot in the inter-continental World Cup play-offs.