The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has finalized the lineup for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), with Cameroon, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Mali securing their places based on FIFA world rankings. This decision comes after Caf expanded the tournament from 12 to 16 teams midway through the qualifying stages for the event, which will be hosted in Morocco. Reigning champions Nigeria were among the 11 teams that qualified directly in the second and final qualifying round last month. Teams eliminated at that stage had hoped for a chance to compete in play-offs, but Caf opted to use FIFA rankings to determine the final four participants. Cameroon (66th globally), Ivory Coast (71st), Mali (79th), and Egypt (95th) will now join the competition. Mali reached the quarter-finals in the delayed 2024 edition, while Cameroon, three-time runners-up, return after missing the 2024 tournament. Ivory Coast and Egypt will make their first appearances since 2014 and 2016, respectively. While Caf has yet to confirm the tournament dates, FIFA has tentatively scheduled it between March 17 and April 3, 2026. The draw date remains unannounced. Notably, the four semi-finalists at Wafcon 2026 will qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the losing quarter-finalists competing for two additional spots in an inter-confederation qualifier.