The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will determine the first four African teams to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, while two other teams will have another opportunity to qualify through an intercontinental play-off tournament, FIFA has announced.
In a qualification guide published on its website on Sunday, the world football governing body confirmed that the tournament, scheduled to hold from July 26 to August 16, 2026, will serve as Africa’s qualifying competition for the expanded Women’s World Cup.
A total of 16 countries will compete at the tournament: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
The teams will be divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.
According to FIFA, the four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will serve as FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
“After a group stage with four groups of four, the top two teams of each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. All four semi-finalists will qualify for Brazil 2027,” FIFA said.
FIFA also explained that the four teams eliminated in the quarter-finals will still have a chance of reaching the World Cup.
The quarter-final losers will compete in play-off matches to determine the two African teams that will advance to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.
The intercontinental play-off tournament will feature 10 teams—two each from Africa, Asia, Concacaf and South America, as well as one team each from Europe and Oceania.
Its opening phase will take place in November and December 2026, while the final phase is scheduled for February 2027.
“The six teams will be drawn into three paths, with a direct knockout match to determine the final three teams qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. Teams from the same confederation will not be permitted to be drawn in the same pathway,” FIFA stated.
Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, will be aiming for a record 10th consecutive Women’s World Cup appearance, having featured in every edition of the tournament since its inaugural staging in 1991.
Ghana has qualified for the Women’s World Cup three times, while Cameroon and South Africa have each made two appearances. Morocco, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea have each featured once.
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, marking the first time the tournament will be hosted in South America.
