The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations starts this Sunday in Morocco. The tournament offers a chance to qualify for the World Cup and has a record prize of two million dollars for the winner.
This year, 16 nations are competing, up from 12 last time. Nigeria, the 10-time champions and defending title holders, are seen as the team to beat.
Nigeria's last victory was dramatic. They were down two goals to Morocco at halftime but made a comeback. Jennifer Echegini scored the winning goal in a thrilling 3-2 match.
Echegini, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, will be back to try for another gold medal. This tournament is hosted by Morocco for the third time in a row.
Esther Okoronkwo, who plays in Canada, and Folashade Ijamilusi, who is with a club in China, scored Nigeria’s other goals in the final. They are also looking for more success.
Nigeria's coach Justine Madugu told reporters that their main goal is to reach the semi-finals. They want to secure one of the four World Cup spots that Africa has.
“Our second goal is to defend the trophy and bring it back to Nigeria. We know it will not be easy because every other nation wants to take it from us,” he said.
Madugu has selected a squad of 25 players, mixing young talent with experienced campaigners from clubs as far away as Mexico, Israel, and China. There is also one local player, goalkeeper Fatima Oloko from Abia Angels.
A key player missing from the previous winning squad is Ashleigh Plumptre. The England-born defender plays for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia but is currently injured.
Midfielder Rasheedat Ajibade, who is a teammate of Echegini at PSG, will captain the team. The squad also includes Chiamaka Nnadozie, the goalkeeper for Brighton & Hove Albion, who is considered one of the best in Africa.
The teams that win and come second in the four mini-leagues will move on to the quarter-finals. Nigeria is in Group C with strong teams like Zambia, organized Egypt, and newcomers Malawi.
Zambia's Racheal Kundananji made headlines when she moved from Madrid CFF to American club Bay FC in 2024. She set a world record transfer fee. Another forward, Barbra Banda, is known for scoring consistently.
Malawi may be the underdogs, but they have talented forwards in the Chawinga sisters. Tabitha plays for Lyon while Temwa is with Kansas City Current.
Since 1998, there have been 13 WAFCON tournaments. Other than Nigeria, only Equatorial Guinea has won twice, and South Africa has won once.
Equatorial Guinea did not qualify this time, while South Africa is the top seed in Group B. They will face Tanzania, the Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
Morocco, who lost to Nigeria and South Africa in recent finals, will compete against Algeria, Senegal, and Kenya in Group A.
The match between Morocco and Algeria on July 30 could be heated due to their tense political relations.
This rivalry stems from disputes over the phosphate-rich Western Sahara territory and other historical border issues.
Group D includes Ghana, who won bronze in 2024, three-time runners-up Cameroon, and newcomers Cape Verde. Cape Verde hopes to impress Africa like the senior men’s team did at the 2026 World Cup.
The tournament will have 34 games across three stadiums in Rabat and two in Casablanca. This includes two matches for quarter-final losers to compete for inter-continental World Cup play-off slots.
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