The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that the final draw for the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday, January 15, 2025, at 2 pm local time (13:00 GMT / 15:00 Cairo). According to a statement published on CAF’s official website on Wednesday, the draw will determine the group stage matchups for the continental tournament. The statement also noted that on the same day, CAF will reveal the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award and other outstanding women’s football accolades, signaling a dual celebration of both competition structure and individual achievement within African women’s football.
The 2026 edition of WAFCON is set to be a historic tournament, as it will feature an expanded 16-team field for the first time. CAF confirmed that the qualified teams include hosts Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. The expansion reflects the continued growth of women’s football on the continent and provides more opportunities for nations to compete at the highest level. CAF’s announcement emphasized the importance of the draw in shaping the tournament and ensuring competitive balance, as well as generating excitement among fans, players, and national federations.
Alongside the draw, CAF will also announce the winners of three major awards celebrating excellence in African women’s football. The categories include CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, and CAF Women’s Club of the Year. Originally, these awards were scheduled to be presented during the CAF Awards night on November 19, 2025, but were postponed due to the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League, which delayed the completion of the season. In preparation for the January announcements, CAF has officially reopened voting for the three categories, ensuring that stakeholders have an opportunity to participate in selecting the winners.
The voting process for the awards is coordinated and overseen by CAF, which maintains oversight to ensure fairness but does not participate in casting votes. For the CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, voting is conducted by media representatives, as well as team captains and coaches participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League. The CAF Women’s Coach of the Year is determined through votes from both the media and coaches of member associations, while the CAF Women’s Club of the Year is decided by media members in conjunction with the CAF Women’s Technical Committee. CAF emphasized that this multi-tiered voting system is designed to reflect both professional assessment and media perspective across African women’s football.
CAF’s statement underlined the significance of the 2026 WAFCON and the associated awards in promoting and recognizing the development of women’s football across the continent. “On the same day, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will also announce the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other outstanding women’s football awards,” the statement read. By linking the draw with the awards, CAF aims to celebrate both the competitive and individual achievements within the sport, reinforcing the broader goals of visibility, recognition, and growth of women’s football in Africa.
The expansion of the tournament to 16 teams also highlights CAF’s commitment to inclusivity and the continued rise of competitive standards in African women’s football. With teams representing all regions of the continent, the 2026 WAFCON provides a platform for emerging nations to showcase their talent alongside traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Morocco. For fans and national associations, the draw will determine the dynamics of the group stages and influence preparations, strategy, and logistics in the lead-up to the tournament.
As CAF prepares for the draw and awards announcements, the organization has stressed the importance of transparency and credibility in both the competitive and recognition aspects of the sport. By overseeing the voting processes and coordinating the draw with precision, CAF ensures that all stakeholders, from players to coaches and fans, have confidence in the integrity of the outcomes. The final draw in Rabat on January 15, 2025, therefore marks a crucial milestone for the 2026 WAFCON, setting the stage for Africa’s women’s football teams to compete at an unprecedented scale while celebrating excellence both on and off the pitch.