The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations just 12 days before the tournament was due to start in Morocco.
CAF announced the decision on Thursday. The governing body said it had to reschedule the tournament due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
The competition was set to run from 17 March to 3 April. It also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Morocco was preparing to host the finals for a third straight time. However, recent reports about a possible hosting change had already created concern among players and fans.
Speculation increased after chaotic scenes during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Final. In that match, Senegal national football team defeated Morocco national football team 1–0 at Stade Moulay Abdellah.
CAF said the postponement aims to ensure the success of the competition. The organization did not announce new dates or confirm a host nation. It only said preparations for the tournament continue.
CAF conducted the group stage draw for the expanded 16-team event on 15 January. However, officials had not yet released the full match schedule.
Earlier in February, confusion also emerged over the host nation. Gayton McKenzie, the sports minister of South Africa, had to clarify comments suggesting the country might replace Morocco as host.
The delay has raised fresh questions about CAF’s commitment to women’s football. The 2020 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The men’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations still went ahead, although it was postponed to early 2022.
Scheduling issues also affected the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament took place in July 2025 due to clashes with the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The 2024 edition ended with victory for the Nigeria women’s national football team. The tournament attracted record crowds and strong television audiences across Africa.
The WAFCON postponement follows another recent schedule change. CAF delayed the 2024 African Nations Championship only weeks before its planned start in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
CAF said at that time it needed more time to improve infrastructure and facilities.
Former Nigeria women’s national football team captain Desire Oparanozie expressed disappointment about the latest postponement.
She said repeated delays show that women’s football still receives less attention.
Oparanozie also warned that the uncertainty could affect players. Many teams had already started intense preparations for the tournament.
Teams such as Nigeria women’s national football team, Cameroon women’s national football team and Ghana women’s national football team had arranged international friendlies and training camps.
The Ghana team, known as the Ghana women’s national football team Black Queens, had travelled to the United Arab Emirates for a training tour.
Oparanozie said players could feel frustrated after months of preparation. Many athletes paused personal plans to focus fully on the competition.
The wider conflict in the Middle East has also created travel concerns. Airspace closures and flight disruptions have complicated travel for some teams.
Despite the uncertainty, the Ghana squad said it would continue training while waiting for further updates on the tournament schedule.
