Officials of the Confederation of African Football are in trouble because of Morocco’s refusal to organize the Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to start next March 17 and extend until April 3.
The Moroccan Federation cited the pressure of programming and the obligations of Moroccan clubs at the local and continental levels, in addition to the accumulations of the African Cup of Nations for Men, which affected the good conduct of the local league.
For the first time ever, 16 teams will compete at #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 ✨
A new era of African Women’s football begins 🌍 pic.twitter.com/p0e7m7Kvl7
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) January 17, 2026
Why at this particular time?
The African Confederation has promoted the 14th edition of Cannes Women a lot recently.
CAF announced the stadiums hosting the matches of the 16 participating teams, led by the Algerian national team, led by technical director Farid Benstiti.
The Competitions Committee of the African Confederation celebrated the sports facilities at that time, selecting three of them that had previously hosted Cannes male matches.
The matter concerns the final stadium, “Moulay El Hassan” in Rabat, which hosts the matches of the first group that includes Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Kenya.
In addition to it, the Medina Stadium in Rabat, in addition to the Fez Stadium and the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
There were no intentions to postpone the competition or Morocco’s withdrawal before or even after January 15 (three days before the African Cup final, which Morocco lost to Senegal 0-1), which is the date for the draw for the tournament.
The situation changed completely after less than a month, in a move that seemed intentional! In reference to the events of the final match of the continental competition.
The locals’ loss of the title was accompanied by a massive wave of anger, reaching the corridors of the Continental Confederation, as Morocco backed down from organizing the 2028 men’s edition after it had previously been enthusiastic about the idea.
The decision to abandon “Cannes” will put the women of the African Confederation in trouble, as the regulations stipulate that the Moroccan Federation will be punished and its team deprived of its presence in the competition in the future.
Every group tells a story.✨
Fixtures for Groups A, B, C & D. 🔥#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/R0A3OTQnvp
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) January 15, 2026
South Africa is a possible alternative
The representative of the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture in South Africa, Bess Mabe, revealed that her country’s authorities agreed to succeed Morocco in organizing the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Mabe stated: “When Morocco announced its inability to host the sporting event, we showed readiness to pick up the torch given South Africa’s availability of the necessary facilities and infrastructure.”
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠!!
Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe confirms that South Africa will be taking over from Morocco to host the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with only 60 days from kickoff.
📹 #SABCSport‘s @flexmpumi #SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/IFR4vqkZnR
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) February 1, 2026
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