The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has introduced an growth of the Ladies’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), rising the variety of finalists from 12 to 16 groups ranging from the 2026 version.
Enlargement alerts a New Period
Subsequent yr’s match in Morocco, which was initially set for 12 nations, has already reached its second and closing qualifying spherical. Nonetheless, with the growth now authorized, CAF might introduce an extra spherical of qualifying, with 11 remaining groups anticipated to compete for the 4 out there slots.
Additional particulars shall be introduced after CAF’s ongoing Government Committee assembly in Kinshasa.
From humble beginnings to a Continental Showcase
The WAFCON journey displays the numerous progress the ladies’s recreation has made. First staged as an eight-team match in 1998, the format held regular till the 2018 version in Ghana. The 2020 match was cancelled as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, however the competitors returned in 2022 with an expanded 12-team subject, showcasing improved high quality, deeper squads and bigger audiences.
Funding driving development
CAF has been steadily rising funding in girls’s soccer, underlining the governing physique’s intention to professionalise the sport. The prize fund for the newest version in Morocco jumped by 45 per cent to $3.45 million; a transparent sign of intent. Champions Nigeria obtained $1 million after clinching a file tenth title, whereas the match broke attendance and broadcast information.
Motsepe: “That is an space we’re specializing in a Lot”
CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed satisfaction with the tempo of development and reiterated his long-term dedication to creating the ladies’s recreation.
“I’m happy with the progress we’ve made in girls’s African soccer,” Motsepe mentioned.
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“A part of my start line is ensuring women and men are paid nicely and may make a profession out of soccer. I can guarantee you girls’s soccer will proceed to enhance as a result of that’s an space we’re specializing in so much.”
The street forward
With 16 groups now confirmed for 2026, the Ladies’s Africa Cup of Nations will enter a brand new period of competitiveness, publicity and alternative. For Africa’s rising stars, the growth means extra spots on the massive stage. For CAF, it represents one other milestone in its mission to boost requirements and guarantee girls’s soccer turns into a profession pathway, not only a dream.
