The Confederation of African Football has announced that the final draw for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday, January 15.
CAF made this known in a statement published on its official website on Wednesday.
According to the continental body, the draw ceremony will begin at 2pm local time, which is 1pm GMT.
“On the same day, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) will also announce the winners of the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other outstanding women’s football awards,” CAF said.
CAF explained that the 2026 tournament will be historic, as it will be the first time the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will feature 16 teams, an expansion from the previous format.
The qualified teams for the tournament are host nation Morocco, Nigeria, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
Ahead of the draw, CAF said winners will also be unveiled in three major women’s football award categories.
According to the statement, “The awards to be announced include the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, and CAF Women’s Club of the Year.”
CAF noted that the awards were initially scheduled to be presented during the CAF Awards night held on November 19, 2025, but were postponed because the women’s football season had not ended at the time, due to the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League.
The body added that voting for the three categories has now been reopened.
CAF clarified that it does not take part in the voting process but only supervises and coordinates it.
For the CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, CAF said voting will be done by media representatives, as well as captains and coaches participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
It added that the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year award will be decided through votes from media representatives and coaches of CAF member associations.
The CAF Women’s Club of the Year, according to the football body, will be determined by votes from the media and the CAF Women’s Technical Committee.
The 2026 WAFCON draw is expected to set the stage for another competitive tournament, with Nigeria’s Super Falcons aiming to defend the title they won in 2025.
