Motsepe also reaffirmed that the opening and closing dates for the 2026 edition of WAFCON remain unchanged.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), has insisted that the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will proceed as planned, despite uncertainty surrounding the tournament.
He made the announcement on Friday during a press conference at the CAF Executive Council Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Motsepe was responding to reports suggesting that Morocco might withdraw as hosts, with South Africa reportedly on standby to step in.
Pouring cold water on the rumours, the CAF boss stated that nothing has changed regarding the tournament’s hosting arrangements.
He said: “There are discussions taking place, and there are a lot of competitions. Morocco came to assist because there were many countries that wanted to host it, but because we were short on time, our standards were very high.
”There are still many countries that are interested. As we speak, we are still engaging with Morocco; some other countries have expressed interest in hosting but want the dates changed.”
Motsepe also confirmed that the dates for the WAFCON 2026 finals remain unchanged.
“We can’t change the date because it’s one of those qualifiers for the Women’s World Cup.
“The WAFCON continues, it’s going to be successful, and we will make sure it takes place within the window.” he added.
Morocco, having hosted the previous two editions of WAFCON, is scheduled to host the 2026 edition from 17 March to 3 April 2026.
As the tournament serves as a World Cup qualifier, the four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
