Fixtures, records and format: All you need to know about the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations

[p]It is the start of a race to the title on August 16, but also for a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semi-finalists to book their ticket. [/p][p]Here is all you need to know about the WAFCON.[/p][embed guid="c28b9181-da9d-4d9f-b26e-077ae4d03051" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2078057104481411322?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2][b]The groups and fixtures[/b][/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/6aOchpuH/"]Cape Verde[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/malawi/A3EAueis/"]Malawi[/a] make their debut in the expanded 16-team competition, the biggest field ever assembled for the continental finals, which were first played in 1998 and are now into a 14th edition.[/p][p]The groups are as follows (all kick-off times are GMT).[/p][p] [/p][p][b]Group A[/b][/p][p]26 July, 17h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/algeria/CdsPai41/"]Algeria[/a] v [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/EROqZ82m/"]Senegal[/a] – Olympic Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]26 July, 20h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IButJ9mf/"]Morocco[/a] v [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kenya/IBMrpyqQ/"]Kenya[/a] – Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]30 July, 17h00: Senegal v Kenya – Olympic Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]30 July, 20h00: Morocco v Algeria – Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]3 August, 20h00: Senegal v Morocco – Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]3 August, 20h00: Kenya v Algeria – Olympic Stadium, Rabat[/p][p] [/p][p][b]Group B[/b][/p][p]27 July, 17h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/23FeDl3D/"]South Africa[/a] v [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tanzania/p2wIs1Ae/"]Tanzania[/a] – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]27 July, 20h00: Côte d’Ivoire v [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/burkina-faso/U96KCev4/"]Burkina Faso[/a] – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]31 July, 17h00: South Africa v Côte d’Ivoire – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]31 July, 20h00: Burkina Faso v Tanzania – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]4 August, 20h00: Burkina Faso v South Africa – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]4 August, 20h00: Tanzania v Côte d’Ivoire – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p] [/p][p][b]Group C[/b][/p][p]28 July, 17h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/zambia/rmKdcHAi/"]Zambia[/a] v Egypt – Olympic Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]28 July, 20h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nigeria/KbvGP3KC/"]Nigeria[/a] v Malawi – Al Madina Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]1 August, 17h00: Egypt v Malawi – Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]1 August, 20h00: Nigeria v Zambia – Al Madina Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]5 August, 20h00: Egypt v Nigeria – Olympic Stadium, Rabat[/p][p]5 August, 20h00: Malawi v Zambia – Al Madina Stadium, Rabat[/p][p] [/p][p][b]Group D[/b][/p][p]29 July, 17h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ghana/fTSIFW3l/"]Ghana[/a] v Cape Verde – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]29 July, 20h00: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/GjLfzCAQ/"]Cameroon[/a] v [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mali/GW2cxMwh/"]Mali[/a] – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]2 August, 17h00: Ghana v Cameroon – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]2 August, 20h00: Mali v Cape Verde – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]6 August, 20h00: Mali v Ghana – Moulay Rachid Stadium, Casablanca[/p][p]6 August, 20h00: Cape Verde v Cameroon – Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca[/p][embed guid="f4967f7e-ab6b-4e7b-b103-9eb6eaf6dcd6" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2080740923747504362?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2][b]The format[/b][/h2][p]The top two teams in each pool advance to the quarter-finals, after which the competition continues in a straight knockout format.[/p][p]However, the four teams that lose their quarter-finals hang around for a World Cup qualification play-off. [/p][p]The loser of quarter-final 1 (Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group B) plays the loser of quarter-final 4 (Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group C), and the loser of quarter-final 2 (Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A) takes on the loser of quarter-final 3 (Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group D).[/p][p]The two victors in those play-off fixtures advance to FIFA’s inter-continental play-offs, where they will challenge for three more berths at the World Cup.[/p][embed guid="615f033b-3c14-4583-acd7-2eb355511bd4" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2080669306942046598?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2][b]Past winners[/b][/h2][p]Nigeria have claimed a record 10 WAFCON titles, including the last one when the tournament was also played in Morocco in 2025. This will in fact be the third edition in a row to be hosted in the North African country.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/equatorial-guinea/SSk4lP2F/"]Equatorial Guinea[/a], with their host of hastily nationalized Brazilians, lifted the trophy on home soil in 2008 and 2012. Since that racket was put to a stop, they have qualified for a single tournament in 2018, where they lost all three matches, scoring one goal and conceding 18.[/p][p]That brief period where FIFA turned a blind eye to their blatant flouting of the regulations remains a stain on the women’s game.[/p][p]South Africa are the only other nation to lift the trophy, which they managed in the 2022 edition, finally ending a run of four losses in the final. [/p][embed guid="fad3b98b-3527-4727-9b00-c462d44084ea" url="https://x.com/CAFwomen/status/2080609401321226556?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2][b]Records[/b][/h2][p][b]3 – [/b]Cameroon and Ghana hold the record for most visits to the deciding WAFCON match without lifting the trophy – three each. Morocco have lost the last two finals. [/p][p][b]8 – [/b]The biggest margin of victory at a finals match is the 8-0 win for Nigeria over Morocco in 1998.[/p][p][b]9 – [/b]The most goals scored in a single finals game is nine when Ghana defeated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/zimbabwe/lvVVxgy0/"]Zimbabwe[/a] 6-3 in 2000.[/p][p][b]13 – [/b]Nigeria and South Africa are the only nations to appear in every edition of the WAFCON since it was first staged in its current format in 1998.[/p][p][b]13 –[/b] Nigeria have reached the semi-finals, at least, in all 13 of their appearances. They have been to 10 finals and won every single one of them. They have finished third once and fourth twice.[/p][p][b]16 – [/b]The youngest goalscorer at the finals is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oparanozie-desire/vHCIxhOn/"]Desire Oparanozie[/a], who was 16 years, 325 days when she netted against Tanzania in 2010.[/p][p][b]28 – [/b]Nigeria hold the record for the most team goals in a single tournament as they netted 28 times in five matches on their way to lifting the trophy in 1998. They did not concede a single goal. [/p][p][b]29 – [/b]Debutants Cape Verde and Malawi will bring to 29 the number of nations who have competed at the finals since 1998.[/p][p][b]34 – [/b]The most goals scored at the WAFCON finals by an individual player is 34 by Nigeria’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nkwocha-perpetua/r7GRJjgC/"]Perpetua Nkwocha[/a]. She also holds the record for most goals scored in a single finals tournament with 11 in 2010, and the joint record for most goals scored in a single match (4 vs Cameroon in 2004). She shares that record with compatriot [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oshoala-asisat/bHC07VMC/"]Asisat Oshoala[/a] (4 vs Mali in 2016). Nkwocha is also the oldest goalscorer when she netted against Zambia aged 38 years, 284 days in 2014.[/p][p][b]66 – [/b]The most goals scored in a single tournament is 66 netted in the 2024 edition, which was played in 2025. [/p]