After being awarded the men’s Africa Cup of Nations on home soil earlier this year, following the controversial final with Senegal, Morocco are seeking a repeat with the Atlas Lionesses at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on Sunday in Rabat.
The Moroccans were the runners-up in the previous two editions of the biennial competition and will be hoping to break their finals hoodoo and clinch a maiden Wafcon title.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the tournament’s kick-off.
Dates
Originally scheduled to take place in March 2026, the Wafcon was postponed just 12 days before it was due to start.
The continental showpiece was moved to July “to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances” according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The tournament kicks off on Sunday and will conclude on August 16.
Format
Expanded from 12 to 16 teams, the 14th edition of the Wafcon will feature four groups of four, with the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals.
Host cities and venues
Morocco are hosting the Wafcon for a third consecutive time, with matches taking place across five different venues in Rabat and Casablanca.
Algeria and Senegal will square off in the opening game on Sunday at Rabat Olympic Stadium (6pm local time) before Morocco face Kenya later that evening at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium (9pm local time).
Al Medina Stadium in Rabat and Casablanca’s Moulay Rachid Stadium and Larbi Zaouli Stadium will also be hosting some games.
The final will take place in Rabat at either Moulay El Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (still to be decided).
Groups
Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya
Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania
Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi
Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde
The defending champions
Nigeria are the reigning Wafcon champions and have won 10 of the previous 13 editions of the tournament. Equatorial Guinea (2008, 2012) and South Africa (2022) are the only other two nations to have lifted the Wafcon trophy.
The stakes
Beyond the ultimate goal of winning the tournament and being crowned champions of Africa, the Wafcon will offer four qualification spots for the 2027 Brazil Fifa Women’s World Cup to the four semi-finalists.
Additionally, two more teams will have the chance to compete for World Cup spots, which is why losing quarter-finalists in the Wafcon will compete in classification matches to determine the African representatives in the global qualifying tournament.
Prize money
CAF announced they have doubled the prize money awarded to the Wafcon champions to $2 million compared to the previous edition and that the total prize purse had increased by 67 per cent to $5.8 million.
The runners-up will receive $750,000, representing a 50 per cent increase, while the prize money for the third-placed team has been increased by 43 per cent.
Each of the 16 teams will also receive $150,000 in participation funding, an increase of $25,000 (20 per cent) from the $125,000 received in the previous edition.
Ones to watch
Nigeria are the team to beat as the highest-ranked African side in the competition and the dominant force in women’s football on the continent.
Led by coach Justine Madugu, who took over the team after their narrow last-16 defeat to England on penalties in the 2023 World Cup, the Super Falcons have the three-time CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, Chiamaka Nnadozie, to protect their net and their captain and PSG forward Rasheedat Ajibade to lead their attack.
Ajibade captained Nigeria to the 2024 Wafcon title and was named Player of the Tournament. AFC Toronto striker Esther Okoronkwo was the tournament’s leading assist provider with six assists and is also one to watch.
Morocco made history as the first Arab nation to make it to the knockout stages at a Fifa World Cup when they reached the last 16 in 2023 and will be keen to stamp their authority on the continental stage.
The Atlas Lionesses are captained by the formidable Ghizlane Chebbak, who was the top scorer at the 2024 Wafcon with five goals and also clinched the Golden Boot in the 2022 edition.
The 35-year-old Al Hilal forward became the first Moroccan to win the CAF Women’s Player of the Year award last year and will bring a wealth of experience to the hosts’ attack.
Morocco are coached by Jorge Vilda, who guided Spain to the Fifa Women’s World Cup title in 2023.
South Africa will once again have Desiree Ellis in the dugout after she led the Banyana Banyana to the 2022 Wafcon crown as well as the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup.
One of just four female coaches at this edition of the tournament, Ellis has a blend of youth and experience on her squad, including Thembi Kgatlana, who plies her trade in the Mexican league and scored the winning goal against Italy which earned South Africa a first ever World Cup victory and qualification to the knockout stage.
Following a decade-long absence from the Wafcon, Egypt return for a third time to the continental stage, searching for a maiden ticket to the knockouts, while Algeria are keen to build on their quarter-final appearance in the previous edition, which marked Les Fennecs’ best result in competition history.
After winning the hearts of football fans across the globe with their heroic effort at the men’s World Cup this summer, Cape Verde are set to make their Wafcon debut, alongside fellow debutants Malawi.
