March 5 (Reuters) - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the postponement of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to July-August, ending weeks of speculation as to whether it would go ahead as scheduled this month.
The tournament serves as a preliminary for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, where four African sides will gain automatic qualification, and two more will go into the inter-continental qualifiers.
The WAFCON was originally scheduled to be played from March 17 to April 3, but hosts Morocco pushed for a change in dates due to what CAF describes as "unforeseen circumstances".
"After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF decided to reschedule the dates of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026, to 25 July – 16 August 2026 to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances," CAF said in a statement on Thursday, without giving further details about the reason for the postponement.
"Preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026 are underway and all the parties are confident that it will be very successful."
The number of teams competing at the finals has been expanded to 16 for the first time, with Nigeria the defending champions after they lifted the trophy at the 2024 edition, which was played last year having also been postponed.
(Reporting by Nick SaidEditing by Toby Davis)
