Africa Cup of Nations - Women 2025/26

The Africa Cup of Nations Women, known as WAFCON, is the premier senior women's national team football competition in Africa. Organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), it sits at the top tier of the continent's women's game. The tournament is the direct female counterpart to the men's competition, having been renamed from the African Women's Championship in 2016 to align with that title. The format has evolved significantly since its inception. It began as a home-and-away knockout in 1991 and 1995 before transitioning to a hosted finals tournament in 1998. The field expanded from eight teams to twelve in 2022, and further to sixteen teams for the 2026 edition. The current structure features a group stage with four groups of four teams, followed by a single-elimination knockout phase starting with the quarter-finals. There is no promotion or relegation system; participation is determined through a multi-round qualification process involving home-and-away legs, with the host nation qualifying automatically. The tournament also serves as the primary qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup, with the top four teams earning automatic spots. Nigeria is the most successful nation with ten titles. Cameroon won the inaugural 2026 edition, defeating Malawi 3-0 to claim their first title. Equatorial Guinea has won twice, while South Africa won in 2022. The competition is distinct from the CAF Women's Champions League, which is a club competition featuring teams qualified from domestic leagues. The current season involves nations including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt and Ghana.