Five records that might be broken at WAFCON 2026 in Morocco

The 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is coming back to Morocco. This time, the tournament will have 16 teams, which means there will be chances to break several records.

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, says the 14th edition could see new records in areas like tournament appearances, titles, and goalscoring.

CAF shared this information in a release called “TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations records that could be broken.”

Cameroon captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné might become the most experienced player in WAFCON history. She could reach this milestone when the Indomitable Lionesses play Mali at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium on Wednesday, July 29.

CAF mentioned that if Onguéné plays, it will be her eighth appearance at a WAFCON finals, which will beat Nigeria’s Onome Ebi. Ebi has played in seven editions of the tournament.

If this happens, Onguéné will be the first player to achieve eight appearances in WAFCON.

Nigeria’s Francisca Ordega and Osinachi Ohale are also looking to make history with the Super Falcons. The two already hold the record for the most WAFCON titles, with five each.

They could make that six if Nigeria successfully defends their title. CAF called them “perennial winners and overall leaders,” stating that their long careers inspire many footballers across Africa.

Tunisia’s Mariem Houij holds the record for the fastest goal in WAFCON history. She scored just 17 seconds into the match against Togo during the 2022 edition.

CAF described it as a “lightning-fast sprint followed by a clean strike,” and this goal still stands as the fastest in the competition.

With 413 players expected at the 2026 tournament, CAF said many will aim to score even quicker and take that record.

Nigerian legend Perpetua Nkwocha holds the record for the most goals scored by a player in one WAFCON edition. Nkwocha scored 11 goals at the 2010 tournament, with hat-tricks against Mali and Cameroon.

CAF called this an “all-time high mark that remains the ultimate standard for goal-scoring efficiency on the continent, 16 years later!”

The record for the most goals in a single WAFCON edition is 66, set at the 2024 tournament in Morocco. CAF noted that the tournament “reached unprecedented heights of attacking efficiency” with 66 goals scored.

But this record might not last long. The 2026 edition will have 16 teams, which could lead to more goals being scored.

CAF believes the increase in teams and matches gives a great chance to break this record. The new format is expected to bring more excitement, with several long-standing records likely to fall when the 2026 WAFCON kicks off.