Super Falcons Await WAFCON 2026 Group Draw in Rabat

Defending champions Nigeria’s Super Falcons are poised to discover their group opponents for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Thursday at the tournament’s official draw ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.

The draw will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, a venue that has hosted numerous Confederation of African Football (CAF) events. This edition of the WAFCON has been expanded to feature 16 teams for the first time in the competition’s history.

Nigeria will be among the contenders aiming to defend their title alongside hosts Morocco, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Cape Verde. Other qualified nations include Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

The 16 teams will be seeded into four pots based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking published on 11 December 2025. In addition to setting the groups, CAF is expected to unveil the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other awards at the ceremony. The WAFCON 2026 finals are scheduled to run from 17 March to 3 April, 2026.

EDITORIAL

In the cadence of African football’s evolving story, Thursday’s draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will be more than a procedural formality it will be a moment of narrative definition. For the Super Falcons — Nigeria’s storied queens of the continental game — the ceremony in Rabat represents both a culmination and a commencement the conclusion of qualification campaigns and the beginning of another battle to assert supremacy in a tournament widened to 16 nations.

Nigeria’s role as defending champions bestows on them a unique duality of burden and privilege. There is the weight of history nine titles engraving their name upon the annals of WAFCON lore  and the fresh challenge of a competition reimagined, expanding its ambit to embrace a greater diversity of African talent. This expansion is not merely numerical; it is symbolic of the dynamism coursing through women’s football on the continent.

Yet there is a subtle artistry in the too-often overlooked mechanics of a tournament draw. It is in these groupings that fables of triumph and adversity are first whispered the delicate balance between seeded expectation and the unheralded menace of underdogs poised to disrupt the script. For the Super Falcons, the draw will determine immediate tactical imperatives and psychological terrain just as much as it shapes matchday logistics.

At a time when the global game is yearning for new narratives and deeper inclusivity, WAFCON’s evolution mirrors broader cultural currents. The draw ceremony complete with the unveiling of CAF’s women’s football honours will be a celebration of progress, resilience and the beautiful unpredictability that defines sport.

For Nigeria’s champions, the unknown opponents on Thursday represent both challenge and opportunity. Football’s finest stories are seldom written in certainty they are forged in the uneasy space where strategy meets spirit. As the Super Falcons prepare to learn their group foes, they stand not just as champions of Africa, but as standard-bearers for what the continent’s women’s game has become and what it might still be.

DID YOU KNOW?

1. The 2026 WAFCON is the first edition to feature an expanded 16-team format, up from 12 in previous tournaments — a decision aimed at boosting competitiveness and representation across African women’s football.
2. Nigeria’s Super Falcons are the most successful team in WAFCON history, having won the competition more times than any other nation.
3. Qualification for the 2026 WAFCON was secured after Nigeria drew 1–1 with Benin Republic, sealing an aggregate victory in the final qualifying playoff.
4. CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award — to be announced at the draw ceremony — recognises outstanding coaching in African women’s football, highlighting tactical excellence as the sport grows in prominence.
5. The two WAFCON semi-finalists automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, adding extra significance to strong performance in the group stages and beyond.