The Confederation of African Football has confirmed that the official draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday, January 15, 2025, marking a significant expansion in the competition’s format and scope.
The continental football body made the announcement in a statement published on its official website on Wednesday, revealing that the ceremony will commence at 2 pm local time, corresponding to 13:00 GMT and 15:00 Cairo time.
According to CAF, the draw ceremony will be accompanied by the presentation of several prestigious women’s football awards, including the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other outstanding women’s football accolades that have been pending since the previous awards cycle.
“On the same day, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will also announce the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other outstanding women’s football awards,” the statement read.
The 2026 edition represents a watershed moment in the tournament’s history, as it will feature an expanded field of 16 participating nations for the first time since the competition’s inception. This expansion nearly doubles the previous format, reflecting the rapid growth and development of women’s football across the African continent over recent years.
The qualified teams set to participate in Morocco are hosts Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. These nations emerged from a rigorous qualification process that spanned several months across different regions of the continent.
The expansion from eight to 16 teams aligns with broader continental efforts to deepen the competitive landscape of women’s football in Africa, providing more nations with opportunities to showcase talent on the international stage and gain valuable tournament experience. It also mirrors similar expansions in other CAF competitions and follows global trends in women’s football development.
Alongside the draw, CAF will unveil winners in three critical women’s football categories: CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, and CAF Women’s Club of the Year. These awards were originally scheduled for presentation at the CAF Awards night held on November 19, 2025, but were postponed due to the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League season, which had not yet concluded at the time.
The continental body reopened voting for the three categories earlier this week, following the completion of the women’s football calendar. CAF clarified that while it does not participate directly in the voting process, it maintains oversight and coordination responsibilities to ensure transparency and fairness.
The voting mechanisms for each category reflect different stakeholder perspectives within African women’s football. For the CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year award, voting will be conducted by accredited media representatives alongside captains and coaches currently participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League, ensuring that those closest to club-level competition have direct input.
The CAF Women’s Coach of the Year will be determined through votes cast by media professionals and coaches from CAF member associations, drawing on broader continental expertise and recognition of coaching excellence across national and club contexts.
Meanwhile, the CAF Women’s Club of the Year award will be decided by votes from the media in conjunction with members of the CAF Women’s Technical Committee, a body comprising technical experts who provide strategic guidance on women’s football development initiatives across Africa.
The decision to hold both the draw and awards ceremony in Morocco underscores the host nation’s growing prominence in African football administration and its significant investment in football infrastructure, particularly for women’s competitions. Morocco has increasingly positioned itself as a hub for major CAF events, reflecting broader ambitions in sports development and international football engagement.
The Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has evolved considerably since its establishment, serving not only as the continent’s premier women’s football competition but also as a qualification pathway to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The tournament has historically provided African teams with critical competitive exposure and development opportunities, contributing to improved performances on the global stage.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have dominated the competition historically, winning multiple editions, while South Africa’s Banyana Banyana claimed the most recent title in 2022, defeating Morocco in a memorable final held in Rabat. The Moroccan hosts will be seeking to leverage home advantage in 2026 to improve on their previous performances and potentially claim their first continental crown.
The expanded format is expected to intensify competition and broaden the talent pool, offering emerging footballing nations greater opportunities to compete at the highest level. Countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi, which have shown significant improvement in recent qualification campaigns, will view the tournament as platforms for further development and international recognition.
The draw ceremony will determine the group stage composition, with the 16 teams expected to be divided into four groups of four teams each, following standard tournament formats. The specific seeding criteria and draw procedures are anticipated to be announced by CAF in the days leading up to the event.
