WAFCON 2026: Africa Set For New Women’s Football Champions

A new champion will be crowned at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after Nigeria and South Africa, the two most recent winners of the competition, were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons, who won the previous edition staged in 2025 after the tournament was postponed from 2024, saw their title defence come to an end following a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon on Sunday.

Myriam Wam’s 19th-minute free-kick proved to be the difference as Cameroon secured only their second victory over Nigeria in WAFCON history and advanced to the semi-finals.

The defeat also ended Nigeria’s hopes of extending their record to 11 continental titles.

South Africa, meanwhile, were eliminated by hosts Morocco, who secured a 2-1 victory in Rabat a day earlier to book their place in the last four.

With both of the last two champions out of the competition, neither will feature in the semi-finals. Equatorial Guinea, the only other nation to have previously won the tournament, also failed to qualify for the 2026 edition.

The development means the WAFCON will have no former champion in its semi-finals for the first time since 2012.

Morocco now have an opportunity to claim their maiden continental title on home soil, while Algeria, Cameroon and Malawi are also chasing their first-ever WAFCON triumph.

Nigeria remain the most successful nation in the history of the competition, having won 10 titles since the tournament began.

The Super Falcons dominated the early years of the competition, winning the first five editions between 1998 and 2006. Their dominance was eventually ended by Equatorial Guinea in 2008.

Nigeria reclaimed the trophy in 2010 before losing it to Equatorial Guinea in 2012. The Falcons subsequently won three consecutive editions in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

South Africa ended Nigeria’s long wait for another title in 2022 before the Super Falcons returned to the summit at the most recent tournament, defeating Morocco in the final to secure their record-extending 10th championship.

However, Nigeria’s early exit from the 2026 competition means a new name will be etched on the trophy, with Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon and Malawi all seeking to make history.

The four semi-finalists will also automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria and South Africa still have an opportunity to secure a route to the global tournament through the play-off stage. The two nations are scheduled to meet in Casablanca on Thursday as part of a play-off involving the four quarter-final losers, with two teams eventually advancing to the inter-confederation play-offs.

The WAFCON 2026 semi-final fixtures are scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, with Algeria facing Malawi at 6 p.m., while hosts Morocco will take on Cameroon at 9 p.m.