The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations opens in Morocco on Sunday, July 26, with Algeria against Senegal in Rabat. The tournament runs to a final on August 16 and has been expanded from 12 teams to 16, taking it to 34 matches across four venues in three host cities.
It doubles as a qualifying route. The four semi-finalists earn places at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, which gives the last eight a competitive weight the tournament has not carried before. Nigeria arrive as holders and are chasing a record-extending 11th title.
The competition was originally scheduled for March 17 to April 3 and was postponed by the Confederation of African Football twelve days before it was due to start. Morocco is hosting for the third consecutive time, the first country to do so.