South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Gayton McKenzie, has firmly dismissed reports claiming that the country has secured hosting rights for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, stressing that Morocco remains the official host with no formal decision taken to relocate the tournament.
In a statement released on Monday, McKenzie declared that “no formal decision” has been made to replace Morocco, which is scheduled to stage the competition starting March 17.
The minister’s clarification came in direct response to remarks attributed to Deputy Minister of Sport, Peace Mabel, who had stated that Morocco had withdrawn from hosting duties with only weeks remaining and that South Africa was prepared to step in. Mabel had told reporters that Morocco had pulled out and South Africa stood ready to take over.
McKenzie, however, emphasised that South Africa had done no more than signal its availability to assist the Confederation of African Football (CAF) should the need arise. “South Africa has only indicated its willingness to support CAF if alternative hosting arrangements become necessary,” the statement read.
He described such preparedness as “part of CAF’s routine contingency planning” for major tournaments, adding: “At this stage, no formal decision has been taken to relocate the tournament, and Morocco remains the official designated host of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. CAF has not activated any alternative hosting process.”
The minister further outlined the stringent conditions that would have to be fulfilled for South Africa to host the event, including formal CAF approval, cabinet clearance, and confirmation that venues and supporting infrastructure are fully ready.
Morocco is set to organise the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the third consecutive edition, with the 2026 tournament due to run from March 17 to April 3. The North African nation has established itself as a regular host in recent years after successfully staging the 2022 and 2024 tournaments.
In 2022, Morocco reached the final on home soil but lost to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana. Two years later, in the 2024 edition also held in Morocco, the host nation again finished runners-up, this time falling to Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s premier women’s national team competition, has been contested since 1991. Nigeria hold the record for the most titles and had dominated the tournament for much of its history, winning 11 of the 14 editions held before South Africa’s breakthrough victory in 2022. Nigeria reclaimed the trophy in 2024.
The competition, organised biennially by CAF, has grown significantly in stature and visibility, particularly since Morocco began hosting consecutive tournaments. The rapid timeline leading into the 2026 event has placed added focus on organisational readiness, prompting the recent public discussion over possible contingency arrangements.
As it stands, all official indications point to the tournament proceeding in Morocco as originally planned.
