There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with hosting a tournament for the third time in a row. The welcome has already been given. The stadiums are familiar. The investment is visible. At some point, the hosts have to win the thing.
That is the question hanging over Morocco as the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations begins on Sunday: can the Atlas Lionesses finally turn a country’s momentum into a continental title?
Twice runners-up, in 2022 and again in 2024, Morocco no longer arrive as an uplifting story or an ambitious outsider. They are expected to contend. Captain Ghizlane Chebbak remains the side’s emotional and creative reference point, while Nouhaila Benzina, Ibtissam Jraidi, Fatima Tagnaout and Khadija Er-Rmichi bring the scars and experience of two final defeats. A third run at home feels less like another opportunity than a deadline.
The opening night should tell us plenty. Algeria and Senegal meet first at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium at 18:00 local time, before Morocco face Kenya at Moulay El Hassan Stadium at 21:00. Kenya have waited a decade to return to WAFCON and have been handed the most intimidating possible welcome: the hosts, under lights, in front of a crowd that expects a victory.
This is not quite the WAFCON we knew
For the first time, 16 teams will take part. The expansion from 12 has created four clean groups of four, with the top two advancing to the quarter-finals. Cape Verde and Malawi will make their tournament debuts. Kenya are back for the first time since 2016. Algeria arrive after reaching the knockout stage for the first time at the previous edition.
Expansion can dilute a competition if the new teams are treated as decoration. This field does not feel decorative. Malawi qualified by beating Angola 2-0 away and then surviving a tense return leg. Cape Verde eliminated Mali before being added to the finals field when CAF expanded the tournament. Kenya’s coach Beldine Odemba has spoken openly about targeting a first World Cup. None of them are coming for the opening ceremony.
The reward is bigger than a trophy. All four semi-finalists qualify directly for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The beaten quarter-finalists will play additional matches to determine Africa’s two entrants in the inter-confederation play-offs. In other words, a single quarter-final can alter the direction of a national programme for years.
Nigeria remain the standard
Every WAFCON preview eventually returns to Nigeria. The Super Falcons have won ten titles and have never missed the tournament. They reclaimed the crown in 2024 by coming from two goals down to beat Morocco 3-2 in the final, a result that reinforced the oldest truth in African women’s football: beating Nigeria is one challenge; finishing them off is another.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade, the player of the tournament in 2024, leads another squad with match-winners in every line. Chiamaka Nnadozie is one of the world’s best goalkeepers. Michelle Alozie brings speed and nerve. Jennifer Echegini can change the rhythm of a game, while Esther Okoronkwo and Asisat Oshoala give coach Justine Madugu different ways to attack.
But Group C will not allow Nigeria a gentle start. Zambia possess perhaps the most frightening transition attack at the tournament, with Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji capable of turning one loose pass into a clear chance within seconds. Their meeting on 1 August is the outstanding game of the group stage: the champions against the team most capable of making the champions look uncomfortable.
The contenders beyond the obvious two
South Africa know how to win this competition. Champions in 2022, Banyana Banyana return with Desiree Ellis still in charge and Thembi Kgatlana back among a core that includes Linda Motlhalo, Andile Dlamini, Refiloe Jane and Hildah Magaia. Fourth place in 2024 was a disappointment, but it did not erase the tactical clarity or tournament experience that made them champions.
Ghana may be the most intriguing team outside the leading quartet. The Black Queens have experience in Portia Boakye, Grace Asantewaa and Evelyn Badu, but Group D gives them almost no margin for a slow start. Cameroon remain dangerous even when their preparation is imperfect, Mali have enough technical quality to punish passive opponents, and debutants Cape Verde arrive with nothing to protect.
Then there is Algeria. Their quarter-final appearance in 2024 changed the way they should be discussed. Farid Benstiti has retained the core of that side while adding seven WAFCON debutants. Their opener against Senegal is not merely the first match of the tournament; it is an immediate test of whether the previous run was a breakthrough or a peak.
Five group-stage matches to circle
- Algeria vs Senegal — 26 July: an opening game with real qualification weight.
- Morocco vs Algeria — 30 July: a North African derby with the host nation under pressure.
- South Africa vs Côte d’Ivoire — 31 July: technique, pace and very little room for error in Group B.
- Nigeria vs Zambia — 1 August: the champions against the tournament’s most explosive attack.
- Ghana vs Cameroon — 2 August: a heavyweight meeting that could decide Group D.
The final will be played in Rabat on 16 August. Nigeria expect to be there because they almost always are. Morocco believe this is the year the ending changes. South Africa want their crown back. Zambia have stopped behaving like outsiders.
That is the best thing about this WAFCON. For the first time in a while, the list of teams who can genuinely imagine lifting the trophy is longer than the list of usual suspects.
Follow every fixture, result and group table on the WomenLiveScore WAFCON hub.
Featured image: Ghizlane Chebbak. Photo by Marouane Hamousse, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
