The journey to secure a spot at next year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), returning to Morocco as the host, will reach a decisive phase in October with the final round of qualification matches.
Defending champions and record 10-time titleholders, the Super Falcons of Nigeria, are set to take on Benin Republic in a two-legged showdown scheduled from October 20 to 28.
Benin’s team, the She-Cheetahs, earned their place by overcoming Sierra Leone with a 5-2 aggregate score in the previous round. They secured a 2-1 victory in Togo and followed that up with a 3-1 win in Monrovia. Both nations had to play their matches away from home due to the absence of CAF-approved stadiums. Benin will host the first encounter, while Nigeria will host the return leg.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses, twice runners-up at previous tournaments in 2014 and 2016, face a critical encounter against Algeria. The Algerian squad, known as the Lady Fennecs, made it to the 2024 WAFCON quarter-finals held in Morocco after finishing just behind Nigeria in their group phase. They triumphed over Botswana and earned draws against Nigeria and Tunisia before falling to Ghana in a penalty shootout. The Cameroonian side, who missed qualification last time, will be eager to bounce back following a recent 0-2 friendly loss to Nigeria in Abeokuta.
Another compelling fixture sees Senegal, who reached the quarter-finals last year, competing against Côte d’Ivoire. With eleven victors emerging from the qualification fixtures, they will join hosts Morocco for the 2026 tournament slated for March.
The top four teams at the WAFCON will gain automatic entry into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. In addition, Africa will be allocated two extra places through an intercontinental playoff. FIFA recently announced that the Women’s World Cup will grow to include 48 teams starting from the 2031 edition, jointly hosted by Mexico and the USA.
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