Four Nations Join The Fray: WAFCON 2026 Expanded Lineup .

Line-up for Expanded 16-Team Wafcon 2026 Decided

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the final four teams that will join the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after world rankings were used to determine the last spots. Cameroon, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Mali will complete the lineup for the expanded 16-team tournament.

CAF’s Decision

The decision to expand the finals from 12 to 16 teams was made midway through the preliminaries for next year’s tournament in Morocco. Reigning champions Nigeria were among the 11 sides that booked their tickets in the second and final qualifying round. Teams eliminated at that stage had hoped for another chance to reach the tournament via potential play-offs, but CAF opted to use FIFA’s world rankings instead.

The Four New Teams

The four best-ranked sides that lost in the second qualifying round will feature at WAFCON 2026:

• Cameroon (66th in the world)
• Ivory Coast (71st)
• Mali (79th)
• Egypt (95th)

Mali were beaten quarter-finalists at the delayed 2024 edition, while Cameroon have not featured since 2022. Ivory Coast and Egypt will return for the first time since 2014 and 2016, respectively.

The 12 Nations that had qualified earlier

🇩🇿 Algeria
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
🇨🇻 Cabo Verde (debutants)
🇰🇪 Kenya
🇬🇭 Ghana
🇲🇼 Malawi (debutants)
🇲🇦 Morocco (hosts)
🇳🇬 Nigeria
🇸🇳 Senegal
🇿🇦 South Africa
🇹🇿 Tanzania
🇿🇲 Zambia

Tournament Details

The dates for the tournament have not been confirmed by CAF, but FIFA has earmarked it to take place between March 17 and April 3, 2026. The draw date is also yet to be announced. The four semi-finalists will qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the losing quarter-finalists playing off for two spots at an inter-confederation qualifier.

Conclusion

The expanded WAFCON 2026 promises to be an exciting tournament, with more teams competing for the top prize. The participation of Cameroon, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and Mali will add to the diversity and competitiveness of the tournament. Fans can look forward to watching some of Africa’s best women’s football talent in action.