New uncertainties for the 2026 Women’s AFCON in Morocco?

Due to start on March 17, the Women’s African Nations Cup has still not been officially confirmed internally by the CAF. Worse still, Morocco has again explained that it was not able to organize the competition on the scheduled dates in March.


No communication, no preparatory work: the 2026 Women’s AFCON starts in less than three weeks but CAF does not answer any questions regarding the competition since the sensational statements by the South African vice-minister and the controversies concerning a possible postponement.

Last Monday, during a meeting organized by the media department of the CAF with the communication managers of the affiliated federations, no concrete response was given regarding the Women’s AFCON. No workshop has been conducted either, unlike usual before such a competition.


In a confederation in turmoil after a last eventful Executive Committee where the president Patrice Motsepe did not address for one second the subject of the Women’s AFCON – except before the media to reassure everyone -, this lack of transparency irritates many federations who still do not know if the competition will really be maintained.

For several weeks, Morocco has announced internally that it cannot organize the event in March, citing a logistical and field issue with the men’s championship games or the commitments already made during the international break in March with the sixth edition of the "Morocco, capital of African football" where eight selections will compete in Casablanca and Rabat.

Aware of the problem, CAF had discreetly surveyed several countries to have a plan B. Besides South Africa, the African Confederation had even informally asked Algeria if it was potentially interested, and it was denied.


Symbol of the tensions between the president of the CAF and his Moroccan counterpart, Fouzi Lekjaa, this dialogue of the deaf reached its climax last week when a statement was finally supposed to fall on the official website of the Confederation. Eight days later, nothing had been published yet.

Patrice Motsepe repeated several times that it was out of the question to change the calendar because of the qualifiers for the upcoming Women’s World Cup. Problem, Morocco remains firm and repeated its inability to organize the WAFCON in March.

Faced with this impasse, doubts are gathering more and more while several important voices are being heard internally about the lack of respect and transparency of CAF towards the committed national teams and women’s football in general. "It’s just good for the image, they are completely making fun of us," whispers an international who is currently preparing with her team without knowing if she will or not compete in the biggest continental women’s competition in three weeks.