It may feel like WAFCON 2024 only just ended, and that is because it did only just end… but it is time to strap in once more as WAFCON 2026 is right round the corner.
After this international break we will know 11 of the 15 teams set to join hosts Morocco in the battle for the title of Africa’s finest next year. The competition was this year extended to 16 teams for the first time in WAFCON history. Twenty-two sides remain in with a chance of making it but some face stiffer opposition than others.
Not only are these qualifiers make or break for WAFCON 2026 they will also help decide which African sides remain in FIFA World Cup 2027 contention. The four semi finalists at WAFCON 2026 will qualify automatically for the World Cup while the two sides finishing 5th and 6th will make it to the Inter-Continental play offs.
The Halfway Line gives you the lowdown on what you need to know about the ties with history beckoning for each nation.
Favourites poised to secure finals berth
Benin have never qualified for WAFCON and that is unlikely to change this October. The West African nation face the daunting task of defeating Nigeria, the continental champions ranked 108 places above them in the FIFA rankings. Nigeria have never failed to qualify for the competition, in fact, Nigeria have never failed to make the semi finals of a WAFCON. Giving some hope to Benin is star player Aude Gbedjissi. Gbedjissi has been making an impact for Benin of late, the RC Lens forward scored in both legs of the previous round of qualifying in victory over Sierra Leone. Gbedjissi helped spearhead Lens’ promotion charge last term and already has three goals in five matches in the Première Ligue this season.
Justine Madugu has named a largely unchanged squad from the one that triumphed in Morocco in July. Player of the Tournament and recent PSG signing Rasheedat Ajibade headlines the squad with Ashleigh Plumptre and Chiamaka Nnadozie all expected to play a part. Asisat Oshoala played less than she would have liked at WAFCON 2024 but returns alongside another US based talent in Michelle Alozie. Esther Okoronkwo also returns after her Player of the Match performance in the WAFCON final and having helped guide Toronto to a place in the inaugural Norther Super League play offs. Rinsola Babajide misses out through injury after starting to hit form with Roma.
Benin play their home matches in Lomé, Togo due to lacking a FIFA accredited stadium. Saturday’s first leg will take place at Stade de Kégué before Nigeria host their neighbours at M.K.O Abiola International Stadium in Kuto, Nigeria next week.
Zambia fell short of lofty expectations in the summer, a quarter final exit against Nigeria was a tough pill to swallow especially the manner of that 5-0 defeat. Barbra Banda remains sidelined for the Copper Queens with a soft tissue injury. That means Zambia will expect more from stars like Racheal Kundananji and Grace Chanda in this play off. Namibia are also without a FIFA accredited stadium and will host the first leg in South Africa before the return leg in Zambia on 28th October. The Brave Gladiators are yet to concede a goal in qualifying but Zambia represent a significant step up in the quality of their opposition. Namibia pushed Ghana close at this stage of qualifying for the 2024 edition. Despite falling to a 3-1 defeat in Accra, the Namibian’s won 1-0 at home narrowly missing out on forcing extra time.
The defending champions going into this summer, South Africa endured a disappointing end to the defence of their WAFCON crown. A demoralising late defeat to arch rivals Nigeria in the semi final was followed by a loss to Ghana in the third place play off. Since then legendary striker Jermaine Seoposenwe retired from international duty and was heavily critical of the powers that be in South Africa football when doing so. Prior to WAFCON the players were striking due to not being paid for the past two camps. Desiree Ellis’ side received a welcome boost with the return of star striker Thembi Kgatlana who missed out on WAFCON 2024 for personal reasons. Linda Motlhalo returns having been flying high this season with Glasgow City in the inaugural Europa Cup.
This time Bayana Bayana face DR Congo, another side that fell below expectations in the summer. DR Congo finished bottom of Group A with zero points but gave a better account of themselves against Morocco and Zambia than they had on the opening day defeat to Senegal.
African football heavyweights seek knockout blow
Cameroon failed to qualify for WAFCON for the first time ever in 2023. The Indomitable Lionesses will look to return to the show piece event when they face Algeria this October. The North Africans had their best ever WAFCON last summer, making the quarter final. Their attacking midfielder Ghoutia Karchouni of Inter Milan was irresistible even if her side struggled for goals they made it all the way to the quarter finals. Cameroon have lost in four WAFCON finals without tasting victory and will hope to put that record right in March.
One of the closest match ups this window pits Senegal up against Ivory Coast. Just ten places separate the two West African nations in the FIFA World Rankings. Recently Senegal have enjoyed greater success on the international stage. The Lionesses of Teranga have been quarter finalists in each of the past two WAFCON competitions. Senegal will hope to avoid the Intercontinental play offs by making a semi final this time after they were felled by Haiti in 2022. Their opponents, Ivory Coast have failed to qualify for WAFCON since 2014, when the side came third and qualified for the World Cup in the process. They will be pinning much of their hopes on Inès Konan, the top scorer in the French top flight this season for Strasbourg. The 23 year old made a flying start after joining from Fleury in the summer, scoring five in her first three matches.
Ghana were WAFCON 2024’s surprise package, making it all the way to the semi final and coming third after defeating the defending champions on penalties in the third place play off. Nottingham Forest midfielder Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah will be hoping to translate her excellent club form onto the international stage. The Black Queens face Egypt who scraped past Rwanda to make this round, a side ranked 74 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings.
Underdogs face off
The two lowest ranked sides left in qualification for WAFCON will face each other in its final qualifying round. Malawi, despite boasting two of the most brilliant attacking talents in the world in the Chawinga sisters have never qualified for WAFCON. With Temwa out injured, Tabitha Chawinga is ready to step in. Tabitha has six goal involvements in France so far this term for OL Lyonnes, more than any other player in the division.
They will face Angola, despite making the semi final in one of the first editions of WAFCON they have not featured since 2002, in fact they did not even enter a team for qualifying in 2004, 2008 and for each tournament between 2012 – 2018. In qualifying for 2024 they did not fare much better falling to a 12-0 aggregate defeat to Zambia.
Alongside Malawi, Gambia, Benin and Cape Verde are all vying to qualify for WAFCON for the very first time.
Kenya are seen as Africa’s most prolific giant killers of recent years. In February Tunisia learnt that the hard way. Tunisia were the highest ranked side in the first round of qualifiers but they were eliminated thanks to a 1-0 two legged victory for the Harambee Starlets. At the same stage a couple of years ago Kenya knocked out Cameroon, condemning them to their first ever failed WAFCON qualification campaign. Kenya came desperately close to qualifying in 2024, with Botswana pipping them by a goal. They now face Gambia, a side hoping to make what would be only their second ever WAFCON.
Another tie to look out for sees Burkina Faso pitted against Togo. Burkina Faso have Adèle Kabré who is the joint top scorer in qualifying so far. It was Kabré’s goal on Burkina Faso’s debut in the competition in 2022 that secured their first ever major tournament point against Uganda. Burkina Faso troubled South Africa in qualifying for the 2024 edition, only losing 3-1 on aggregate having drawn in the home leg. On the other hand, Togo are looking to qualify for just their second WAFCON and their first since 2022.
Full fixture list
In each tie the second leg will be hosted on 28th October 2025 by the team’s listed second in the list below.
First Leg – Wednesday 22nd October 2025
DR Congo (116) vs South Africa (54)
Tanzania (131) vs Ethiopia (128)
Namibia (123) vs Zambia (65)
First Leg – Thursday 23rd October 2025
Angola (152) vs Malawi (155)
Algeria (80) vs Cameroon (66)
Egypt (95) vs Ghana (67)
First Leg – Friday 24th October 2025
Burkina Faso (134) vs Togo (120)
Kenya (140) vs Gambia (124)
Benin (144) vs Nigeria (36)
Cape Verde (126) vs Mali (79)
Senegal (81) vs Ivory Coast (71)
There has been no confirmation of the exact process as yet but CAF have confirmed four more sides will join the winners of these ties at the finals in March 2026.
