2026 Women AFCON: Super Falcons Set to Battle She-Cheetahs in Qualifiers

Posted : 29 August 2025

The race for tickets to the 2026 Women Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), set to take place in Morocco, will be finalized in October, with holders and 10-time champions Nigeria taking on the She-Cheetahs of Benin Republic. Meanwhile, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses face a challenging qualifier against Algeria’s Lady Fennecs.

The Indomitable Lionesses, runners-up in the 2014 Namibia and 2016 Cameroon editions—both times losing to Nigeria in the final—must overcome a tricky fixture against Algeria, scheduled for 20th–28th October. Algeria has emerged as a rising force in African women’s football, finishing second behind Nigeria in their group during the recent tournament in Morocco. They defeated Botswana 1-0, drew 0-0 with Tunisia and Nigeria, and narrowly lost to Ghana’s Black Queens 2-4 in a penalty shootout after a quarter-final clash.

Cameroon also failed to qualify for this year’s AFCON finals in Morocco and were beaten 2-0 by Nigeria in a pre-tournament friendly in Abeokuta.

The Super Falcons will face Benin Republic in a two-legged qualifier, with the first leg in Benin and the return leg in Nigeria. Benin earned their spot by defeating Sierra Leone 5-2 on aggregate, winning 2-1 in Togo and 3-1 in Monrovia, playing away from home due to the lack of CAF-approved venues in their countries.

Other notable qualifiers include Senegal’s Lionesses, who reached the quarter-finals in Morocco before losing to South Africa on penalties after a 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time, and will now face Côte d’Ivoire in the final round.

The 11 final qualifying winners will join hosts Morocco in the 2026 AFCON finals in March, where the four semi-finalists will secure automatic spots for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Additionally, two more slots will be determined through a play-off tournament, similar to the 2023 edition held in Australia and New Zealand. The 2027 World Cup will feature 32 teams, with FIFA expanding the tournament to 48 teams starting from the 2031 edition, co-hosted by Mexico and the United States.

2026 Women AFCON Final Round Fixtures

Angola vs Malawi
DR Congo vs South Africa
Tanzania vs Ethiopia
Namibia vs Zambia
Burkina Faso vs Togo
Algeria vs Cameroon
Egypt vs Ghana
Kenya vs Gambia
Benin Republic vs Nigeria
Cape Verde vs Mali
Senegal vs Côte d’Ivoire

2026 Women AFCON: Super Falcons Set to Battle She-Cheetahs in Qualifiers

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