Rabat – The draw for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026 took place today in Rabat, setting the stage for the continent’s flagship women’s football competition.
Held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, the ceremony placed the Atlas Lionesses in Group A alongside Senegal, Algeria, and Kenya.
Morocco, host of the tournament for a third consecutive edition, will once again open the competition with high expectations.
The 2026 edition, scheduled from March 17 to April 3, marks a new phase for the tournament as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) expands the competition from 12 to 16 teams.
Morocco enter the tournament with growing continental stature. The Atlas Lionesses reached the final in 2022, where they lost to South Africa, and again in 2025, where Nigeria claimed the title.
Those performances place the hosts among the tournament’s leading contenders, though Group A presents a mix of physical, technical, and regional challenges.
Today’s draw produced several notable matchups. Group B pairs defending champions South Africa with Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Group C brings together Nigeria, the most successful nation in the competition’s history, with Zambia, Egypt, and Malawi.
Group D includes Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, and Cape Verde, a group marked by physical intensity and tactical variety.
With the expanded format, the group stage will serve as a key test of squad depth and consistency, particularly for teams with recent continental experience.
For Morocco, the draw confirms a balanced, but demanding opening phase, as the hosts aim to turn recent near-misses into a first continental title on home soil.
