• Super Admin
• 06 Mar, 2026

* It is disappointing that the competition has been postponed at the last minute. We hope will continue supporting the team so that the players remain ready for the tournament in July -- Scorchers coach Fazili * It's disappointing that we're depending so much on Morocco. CAF should start looking for possible countries that will actually come up to take the spot if Morocco were to pull out -- former Nigeria's Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie By Duncan Mlanjira The Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) 2026 was awarded to Morocco in October 2024 by Confederation of African Football (CAF) which was scheduled for March 17 to April 3 but the hosts applied to CAF to consider shifting it to another date -- and it has been granted. A statement from CAF yesterday indicated that after discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, the continent's football governing body has bowed down and decided to reschedule the WAfCON 2026 dates "to ensure the success of this important women's competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances". "Preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026 are underway and all the parties are confident that it will be very successful," said the three-paragraphed statement published on CAFonline yesterday. Last month, a report by Foot Africa quoted Morocco's daily Al Mountakhab as saying the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), led by president Fouzi Lekjaa, highlighted that the intense pressure on the national fixture list includes repeated postponements of its professional championship, due to several commitments including the African Nations Championship (CHAN), the Arab Cup and the men's AfCON, which Morocco concluded hosting on January 10. These, according to the report, have severely disrupted Morocco's domes schedule as they also have to honour the requirement by world football governing body, FIFA that local championships must conclude before May 15 -- thus making the organisation of the WAfCON 2026 "even more complicated". In reaction to the postponement, Malawi Scorchers coach, Lovemore Fazili -- who was preparing the team to their historic first appearance at the African women's greatest football showpiece -- expressed disappointment, saying the decision was disappointing, especially as teams had already intensified preparations for the continental showpiece. "As teams we had already prepared and done a lot in readiness for the tournament," he is quoted as saying by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Media. "It is disappointing that the competition has been postponed at the last minute, but we respect the decision by the organisers." The coach added that the technical panel will continue working to ensure the players remain active and competitive ahead of the new tournament dates, saying: "We hope FAM will continue supporting the team so that the players remain ready for the tournament in July. "As coach, I will make sure the players stay active and perform well when the competition begins," said the coach, who had arrived with the team from the COSAFA Women's Championship in South Africa and straight into further training camp but FAM then made a decision to release the players back to their bases two days before CAF announced the postponement. The tournament remains a key platform for the growth and development of women's football on the continent and prior to CAF's announcement, former Nigeria Super Falcons captain, Desire Oparanozie voiced profound disappointment with BBC Sport Africa at the recurring setbacks for women's football on the continent. "I'm very much worried and I would say I'm disappointed because this keeps happening with women's football," she told BBC Sport Africa. "During CoVID-19, the WAfCON was postponed [but] the men went on to play the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon. "I think it's because it's women's football, people really don't give that much importance to it. It's disappointing that we're depending so much on Morocco. CAF should start looking for possible countries that will actually come up to take the spot if Morocco were to pull out." Morocco successfully hosted WAfCON in 2022 and the delayed 2024 edition held in 2025, which saw record attendance figures and strong television audiences across Africa. Oparanozie, who won WAfCON four times with Nigeria, said the postponement could have a physical and mental impact on players, who were already preparing for the tournament. "Teams like Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana had continued their preparations with high-profile friendlies, with the Black Queens of Ghana on a training tour in the United Arab Emirates. "They will be very worried considering the amount of work they've put in so far physically and mentally. They've put their lives on hold just to focus for this tournament and prolonged uncertainty could demoralise some," she said. ESPN reports that even before CAF's announcement, frustration had begun to simmer across the African football community, ire focused at delayed communication, prolonged silence and broken vows. "If someone [from CAF] is listening, can they just give us a 'yes' or a 'no' [about whether the competition will take place in March]," an exasperated South Africa head coach Desiree Ellis spoke to ESPN. "Some players haven't even flown to their countries because of the uncertainty, and it's not really fair. I'll raise one question. Would this happen in the men's game?" Since Thursday's announcement, the criticism has sharpened, reports the ESPN while quoting Super Falcons captain and Paris Saint-Germain forward Rasheedat Ajibade as saying: "African women's football deserves better." ESPN's Ed Dove wrote: "...while everyone involved in and backing the women's game will hope that there are no more changes to the script, it's clear that damage has been done. "How can people believe CAF and their repeated pledged commitment to the women's game after this debacle? [CAF president Molefi] Motsepe had identified the women's game as one of the key focuses of his administration's reshaping of the continent's favourite sport, but here, actions have spoken far louder than words. "Communication has faltered, leadership has felt distant, and Motsepe's repeated insistence that African football must be 'as good as the best in the world' become harder to reconcile with the evidence. "Beyond the immediate disruption, how much damage has this saga inflicted on the WAfCON? With African football still recovering from the violent scenes that overshadowed January's AfCON final, another controversy risks eroding confidence among sponsors, broadcasters and investors. "If the continent's own governing body cannot prioritise the women's game enough to avoid leaving the teams, players, coaches feeling let down and humiliated, why should external stakeholders care? Why should they invest? "The new calendar presents fresh challenges; staging the WAfCON immediately after the World Cup and alongside the Commonwealth Games risks pushing the tournament into the shadows of the global sporting calendar, further reducing its commercial value. "It's not doomed, the talent and the storylines are there for the tournament to build on the successes of recent editions, but increasingly, it feels as though any success would come not because of the clarity and organisation of the game's custodians, but in spite of them," writes ESPN's Ed Dove. Source: https://www.maraviexpress.com/caf-reschedules-wafcon-morocco-2026-to-july-25-august-16/