New Champion Expected at 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations

A new champion will come out of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. This comes after defending champions Nigeria and the 2022 winners South Africa were knocked out in the quarter-finals, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

The Super Falcons, who have lifted the trophy 10 times in the last 13 tournaments, lost to Cameroon on Sunday. Myriam Wam scored a fantastic free-kick in the 19th minute. That goal made all the difference for Cameroon.

This is Cameroon’s second win against Nigeria in WAFCON history.

The day before, the host country Morocco took down South Africa with a score of 2-1 in Rabat. With this victory, Morocco secured a spot in the semi-finals and also qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

South Africa had won the previous edition in 2022. Nigeria then won back the title at the 2024 tournament, which was held in 2025.

Equatorial Guinea, the only other past winners, have not qualified for the tournament since 2018. This means there are no former champions in the semi-finals.

Nigeria remains the most successful team in WAFCON history. They have won a total of 10 continental titles. The Falcons ruled the competition from the start, winning the first five tournaments between 1998 and 2006. Equatorial Guinea ended their dominance in 2008.

Nigeria got the trophy back in 2010 but lost it again to Equatorial Guinea in 2012. The West Africans then came back strong, winning three titles in a row in 2014, 2016, and 2018. South Africa then took the crown in 2022.

Nigeria reclaimed their African title at the 2024 WAFCON, which took place in 2025. They came from behind in the final against Morocco to secure their record-extending 10th title.

With Nigeria and South Africa out of the running, Morocco is now one of the favorites to win their first WAFCON title. Algeria, Cameroon, and either Ghana or Malawi are still in the race.

The four teams that reach the semi-finals will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four teams that lost in the quarter-finals will go into a play-off tournament to find Africa’s two representatives for the inter-confederation play-offs.

Nigeria will play South Africa on Thursday in Casablanca. This match is for one of the remaining paths to the 2027 World Cup.