Defending champions Nigeria face a reunion with Zambia while Morocco have been handed a North African derby in the group draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon).
The Super Falcons thrashed Zambia 5-0 on the way to beating Morocco 2-1 in the final in Rabat and claiming a record-extending 10th Wafcon title in July last year.
The West Africans will also take on Egypt and debutants Malawi in Group C.
Morocco, who will host the finals for a third successive edition, will play local rivals Algeria in Group A alongside matches against Senegal and Kenya.
South Africa, winners in 2022, will face Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania in Group C while Ghana were handed games with Cameroon, Mali and debutants Cape Verde in group D.
The four semi-finalists at the tournament will qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the losing quarter-finalists playing off for two spots at an inter-confederation qualifier.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) made the decision to expand Wafcon from 12 to 16 teams midway through qualification, leading to Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Egypt progressing to the finals based on their world ranking after losing their second-round ties.
The 2026 edition comes just eight months after the 2024 tournament, which was delayed because of scheduling issues that included the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The finals will be held from Tuesday, 17 March to Friday, 3 April – a timespan four days shorter than the 2024 finals, which featured six fewer games.
Matches will be played at two stadiums in Rabat, with one each in Casablanca and Fes.
Ahead of the draw Caf president Patrice Motsepe said he aims to increase both the prize money for Wafcon and the salaries of female players on the continent.
Nigeria received $1m for lifting the trophy last July, while the winners of the men’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday will pick up $10m.
Meanwhile, Motsepe handed out three women’s awards for 2025 which were not presented by Caf in November.
Women’s African Champions League winners AS FAR were named as club of the year, TP Mazembe’s Lamia Boumehdi picked up the coach of the year award and AS FAR and Morocco winger Sanaa Mssoudy was announced as interclub player of the year.
Group A: Morocco (hosts), Algeria, Senegal, Kenya.
Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania.
Group C: Nigeria (holders), Zambia, Egypt, Malawi.
Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde.
Group A will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Group B at the Al Medina Stadium (formerly Stade El Barid) in Rabat, Group C at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca and Group D at the Complexe Sportive de Fes.
