The 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations has been postponed less than two weeks before kick-off, with the tournament originally scheduled to run from 17th March to 3rd April in Morocco.
This tournament also doubles up as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The tournament was set to be played in Morocco for the third successive edition of the finals while there were rumours of a potential hosting change with South Africa stepping up to take on the role.
The group-stage draw was held on 15th January. According to reports, the postponement decision was taken during a meeting on Friday, 27 February, with an official announcement from the Confederation of African Football expected in the coming days.
Caf said the decision to postpone the tournament was taken to "ensure the success of this important women's competition.” This lack of communication has contributed to confusion among participating federations, players, and staff.
The tournament will reportedly now be held from 25 July to 16 August, it said, stating that "preparations for the tournament are underway". It did not indicate whether the host nation would change.
Morocco was due to host a third consecutive edition and successfully staged the 2022 tournament and the 2024 edition, which was delayed till 2025. All their previous hostings have attracted a strong TV audience, and they recently hosted the men's final, where Morocco lost to Rabat. Their willingness to host the women has decreased and intensified following the chaotic scenes of the men's final, in which Senegal players walked off the pitch.
This delay comes as no surprise, as in early February, remarks made by South Africa’s Deputy Sports Minister suggested that the country was ready to step up to host, which was later clarified as unnecessary. South Africa has maintained that it possesses the necessary infrastructure, but no formal handover or confirmation has been issued.
Former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie expressed deep disappointment in comments to BBC Sport Africa.
She said recurring disruption showed women’s football was still not treated equally: “During Covid the Wafcon was postponed [but] the men went on to play the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.”
Oparanozie also criticised CAF’s reliance on Morocco: “It’s disappointing that we’re depending so much on Morocco. CAF should start looking for possible countries that will actually come up to take the spot if Morocco were to pull out.”
With the tournament only a few weeks away, some teams, such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana, had made preparations, including training camps and international friendlies.
Oparanozie warned of the mental and physical toll on players: “They’ve put their lives on hold just to focus on this tournament, and prolonged uncertainty could demoralise some.”
Social media reaction has been critical, with the timing of the decision described as “absurd”, citing a lack of respect for players and technical staff.
Sources indicate that contingency plans had been discussed, but federations were left in a logistical vacuum due to CAF’s failure to communicate formally.
As of now, neither CAF nor Morocco has published a revised schedule, leaving teams, broadcasters and stakeholders awaiting clarity.
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