2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification

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2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Tournament details
Dates19 February 2025 (2025-02-19) – 28 October 2025 (2025-10-28)
Teams36 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played50
Goals scored131 (2.62 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Algeria.svg Ghoutia Karchouni
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Adèle Kabré
Flag of Ghana.svg Doris Boaduwaa
Flag of Zambia.svg Racheal Kundananji
(4 goals each)
2024
2028

The 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification was a women's football competition to determine the 11 teams joining the automatically qualified host Morocco in the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations final tournament. [1]

Contents

There were reports that the final tournament would be expanded to 16 teams, [2] but CAF refuted those reports on 25 October. [3]

Format

The African qualifiers commenced in February 2025 and featured two rounds of competition. In the first round, the 32 teams ranked 7th and below played home-and-away two-legged ties. The 16 winners advanced to the second round, where they were joined by the six teams that received a bye. The winners of the 11 second round home-and-away ties qualified for the final tournament in Morocco.

Schedule

RoundDates
First round19–26 February 2025
Second round22–28 October 2025

Entrants

Fifty-two CAF national women's teams were eligible to enter qualification as Morocco had already qualified as hosts, though only 38 teams registered. The six teams ranked highest in the FIFA Women's World Ranking were given a bye to the second round, and the next 16 highest-ranked teams were seeded in the first round and played the second leg at home. [4]

Final tournament hosts
TeamRank
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 59
Teams entering qualifying rounds [a]
Bye to second round
TeamRank
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 36
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 50
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 62
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 66
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 69
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 71
First round seeded teams
TeamRank
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 78
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 81
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 82
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 83
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 84
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 93
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 102
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 112
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 120
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 123
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 124
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 125
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 127
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 130
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 136
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 141
First round unseeded teams
TeamRank
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 142
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 143
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 145
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 148
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 150
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 151
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 152
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 153
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 156
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 166
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 167
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 178
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 182
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 192
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad NR
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti NR
  1. Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament
Did not enter
TeamRank
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic 144
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia 165
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles 170
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 171
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 176
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau 177
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 188
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 190
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 194
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya NR
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea NR
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan NR
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania NR
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe NR

Pots

The 32 teams playing in the first round were allocated into six pots based on a combination of their FIFA Ranking and geographical considerations, with neighboring zones paired together where possible according to the number of teams. The seedings, pots, and draw procedure were confirmed by CAF on 12 December 2024. [4] [5]

Pot 1 / Unseeded
(COSAFA & CECAFA)
TeamRank
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 151
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 153
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 156
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 182
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 145
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 148
Pot 2 / Seeded
(COSAFA, CECAFA & UNIFFAC)
TeamRank
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 124
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 127
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 122
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 82
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 109
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 112
Pot 3 / Unseeded
(CECAFA)
TeamRank
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 149
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda 168
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi 178
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan 193
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti NR
Pot 4 / Seeded
(UNAF & WAFU B)
TeamRank
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 78
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 84
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 92
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 120
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 137
Pot 5 / Unseeded
(WAFU & UNIFFAC)
TeamRank
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 142
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 152
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger 167
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 143
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad NR
Pot 6 / Seeded
(WAFU A)
TeamRank
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 81
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 83
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 126
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 129
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 141

Draw

The draw for the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers took place on 12 December 2024 at 12:00 GMT.

First round

Summary

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Angola  Flag of Angola.svg3–3 (5–4 p)Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 2–1 1–2
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg w/o Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo
Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg0–2Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 0–2 0–0
Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg4–2Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea 3–1 1–1
Uganda  Flag of Uganda.svg2–2 (4–5 p)Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 2–0 0–2
Eswatini  Flag of Eswatini.svg0–4Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 0–3 0–1
Burundi  Flag of Burundi.svg1–5Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 0–1 1–4
Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg0–10Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 0–5 0–5
South Sudan  Flag of South Sudan.svg0–8Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 0–5 0–3
Rwanda  Flag of Rwanda.svg2–3Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 0–1 2–2
Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg1–0Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 0–0 1–0
Niger  Flag of Niger.svg1–4Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 0–2 1–2
Benin  Flag of Benin.svg5–2Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone 2–1 3–1
Guinea  Flag of Guinea.svg3–6Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 2–2 1–4
Gabon  Flag of Gabon.svg1–10Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 0–6 1–4
Chad  Flag of Chad.svg w/o Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal

Matches

Angola  Flag of Angola.svg2–1Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
  • Ary Papel Soccerball shade.svg1', 73'
Report
Zimbabwe  Flag of Zimbabwe.svg2–1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Report
Penalties
4–5
Lucas Moripe Stadium , Pretoria (South Africa)
Referee: Aline Guimbang A Etong (Cameroon)

3–3 on aggregate. Angola won 5–4 on penalties.


Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svgCancelledFlag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo
Report
Congo  Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svgCancelledFlag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report

Malawi won on walkover and advanced to the second round after Congo withdrew prior to the first leg due to a lack of competitions and preparation. [6]


Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg0–2Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo
Report
DR Congo  Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg0–0Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Report

DR Congo won 2–0 on aggregate.


Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg3–1Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea
Report
Equatorial Guinea  Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg1–1Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Report

Tanzania won 4–2 on aggregate.


Uganda  Flag of Uganda.svg2–0Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Report

2–2 on aggregate. Ethiopia won 5–4 on penalties.


Eswatini  Flag of Eswatini.svg0–3Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Report
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg1–0Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Report

Namibia won 4–0 on aggregate.


Burundi  Flag of Burundi.svg0–1Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso
Report
Burkina Faso  Flag of Burkina Faso.svg4–1Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi
Report

Burkina Faso won 5–1 on aggregate.


Djibouti  Flag of Djibouti.svg0–5Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo
Report
Togo  Flag of Togo (3-2).svg5–0Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti
Report

Togo won 10–0 on aggregate.


South Sudan  Flag of South Sudan.svg0–5Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
Report
Algeria  Flag of Algeria.svg3–0Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan
Report

Algeria won 8–0 on aggregate.


Rwanda  Flag of Rwanda.svg0–1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
Report Essam Soccerball shade.svg64'
Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg2–2Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda
Report

Egypt won 3–2 on aggregate.


Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg0–0Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
Report
Tunisia  Flag of Tunisia.svg0–1Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Report Engesha Soccerball shade.svg4'

Kenya won 1–0 on aggregate.


Niger  Flag of Niger.svg0–2Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia
Report
Stade Général Seyni Kountché , Niamey
Referee: Aline Umutoni (Rwanda)
Gambia  Flag of The Gambia.svg2–1Flag of Niger.svg  Niger
Report

Gambia won 4–1 on aggregate.


Benin  Flag of Benin.svg2–1Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone
Report
Sierra Leone  Flag of Sierra Leone.svg1–3Flag of Benin.svg  Benin
K. Z. Brima Soccerball shade.svg90+6' Report

Benin won 5–2 on aggregate.


Guinea  Flag of Guinea.svg2–2Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde
Report
Stade Lat-Dior , Thiès (Senegal)
Referee: Ghada Mehat (Algeria)
Cape Verde  Flag of Cape Verde.svg4–1Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea
Report

Cape Verde won 6–3 on aggregate.


Gabon  Flag of Gabon.svg0–6Flag of Mali.svg  Mali
Report
Stade de Franceville , Franceville
Referee: Zakia El Grini (Morocco)
Mali  Flag of Mali.svg4–1Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon
Report

Mali won 10–1 on aggregate.


Chad  Flag of Chad.svgCancelledFlag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
Report
Senegal  Flag of Senegal.svgCancelledFlag of Chad.svg  Chad
Report

Senegal won on walkover and advanced to the second round after Chad withdrew prior to the first leg due to delays in the disbursement process of the funds needed for match preparations and lack of funding. [7]

Second round

Summary

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Angola  Flag of Angola.svg0–2Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 0–0 0–2
DR Congo  Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg1–2Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 1–1 0–1
Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg3–0Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 2–0 1–0
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg2–7Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 2–4 0–3
Burkina Faso  Flag of Burkina Faso.svg3–0Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 2–0 1–0
Algeria  Flag of Algeria.svg3–1Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 2–1 1–0
Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg0–7Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 0–3 0–4
Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg4–1Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 3–1 1–0
Benin  Flag of Benin.svg1–3Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 0–2 1–1
Cape Verde  Flag of Cape Verde.svg4–3Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 0–1 4–2
Senegal  Flag of Senegal.svg0–0 (5–4 p)Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 0–0 0–0

Matches

Angola  Flag of Angola.svg0–0Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report (FIFA)
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg2–0Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Report (FIFA)

Malawi won 2–0 on aggregate.


DR Congo  Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg1–1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Report (FIFA)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg1–0Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo
Kgatlana Soccerball shade.svg90+1' Report (FIFA)

South Africa won 2–1 on aggregate..


Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg2–0Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia
Report (FIFA)
Ethiopia  Flag of Ethiopia.svg0–1Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Report (FIFA) Msewa Soccerball shade.svg15'

Tanzania won 3–0 on aggregate.


Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg2–4Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Report (FIFA)
Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg3–0Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Report (FIFA)

Zambia won 7–2 on aggregate.


Burkina Faso  Flag of Burkina Faso.svg2–0Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo
Report (FIFA)
Togo  Flag of Togo (3-2).svg0–1Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso
Report (FIFA)

Burkina Faso won 3–0 on aggregate.


Algeria  Flag of Algeria.svg2–1Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Report (FIFA)
Cameroon  Flag of Cameroon.svg0–1Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
Report (FIFA)

Algeria won 3–1 on aggregate.


Egypt  Flag of Egypt.svg0–3Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana
Report (FIFA)
Ghana  Flag of Ghana.svg4–0Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
Report (FIFA)

Ghana won 7–0 on aggregate.


Kenya  Flag of Kenya.svg3–1Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia
Report (FIFA)
Gambia  Flag of The Gambia.svg0–1Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Report (FIFA)
Stade Lat-Dior , Thiès (Senegal)

Kenya won 4–1 on aggregate.


Benin  Flag of Benin.svg0–2Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
Report (FIFA)
Nigeria  Flag of Nigeria.svg1–1Flag of Benin.svg  Benin
Report (FIFA)

Nigeria won 3–1 on aggregate.


Cape Verde  Flag of Cape Verde.svg0–1Flag of Mali.svg  Mali
Report (FIFA) C. Dembele Soccerball shade.svg81'
Mali  Flag of Mali.svg2–4Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde
Report
Report (FIFA)

Cape Verde won 4–3 on aggregate.


Senegal  Flag of Senegal.svg0–0Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast
Report (FIFA)

0–0 on aggregate. Senegal won 5–4 on penalties.

FIFA ranking team selection

Team Ranking
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 66
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 71
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 79
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 95
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 116
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo 120
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 123
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia 124
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia 128
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin 144
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 152

Qualified teams

The following teams qualified for the final tournament.

TeamQualified asQualified onPrevious appearances in Women's Africa Cup of Nations 1
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco Hosts17 April 20244 (1998, 2000, 2022 , 2024 )
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia Second round winners26 October 20254 (2014, 2018, 2022, 2024)
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 28 October 20252 (2010, 2024)
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi Debut
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 6 (2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2024)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 13 ( 1998 , 2000 , 2002 , 2004 , 2006 , 2008, 2010 , 2012, 2014 , 2016 , 2018 , 2022, 2024 )
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 11 (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018 , 2024)
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 1 (2022)
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 1 (2016)
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 13 (1998, 2000 , 2002, 2004 , 2006, 2008, 2010 , 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022 , 2024)
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde Debut
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 3 (2012, 2022, 2024)
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Second round lucky losers4 November 202513 (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 , 2018, 2022)
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 3 (2012, 2014)
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 9 (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2024)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 3 (1998, 2016)
1Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Goalscorers

There were 131 goals scored in 50 matches, for an average of 2.62 goals per match.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

References

  1. "TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026: 38 Nations Begin the Road to Glory in Morocco". CAFOnline.com . 12 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  2. "Wafcon expands to 16 teams for 2026 finals". BBC Sport. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
  3. "Women's AFCON 2026: Who Will Join Morocco?". cafonline.com. CAF. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025. This Sunday will kick off the return legs of the final qualifying round, which will determine the eleven teams that will join Morocco...
  4. 1 2 "CAF to conduct TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers Draw on Thursday". CAFOnline.com . 10 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  5. "PROCEDURES OF THE DRAW OF THE QUALIFERS OF THE WOMEN AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS 2026" (PDF). CAFOnline.com . 10 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  6. Kegengo, Dennis (4 February 2025). "WAFCON Qualifiers: Malawi through to next round after Congo confirm exit". Pan-Africa Football.
  7. "Football: The FTFA announces the withdrawal of the Sao women's team from the qualifiers for the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations". toumaiwebmedias.com (in French). 16 February 2025. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
  8. "CAF appoints officials for Egypt vs Ghana WAFCON 2026 qualifier". Ghana Football Association. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  9. Liadi, Tunde (16 October 2025). "Gambian referee to decide Super Falcons, Beninese Ladies WAFCON Qualifier". thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved 17 October 2025.