The TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 will make history when it kicks off in 30 days’ time, with the continent’s premier women’s football competition expanding from 12 to 16 teams for the first time.

The tournament opens on 26 July in Rabat, where hosts Morocco will take on Kenya at Moulay El Hassan Stadium at 21h00 local time (20h00 GMT).

Earlier that day, Algeria face Senegal in the other Group A fixture at Rabat’s Olympic Stadium.

“Morocco 2026 will mark a significant milestone in the history of the Competition, with the final tournament expanding from 12 to 16 participating nations for the first time,” CAF said in a Friday statement on its website.

CAF said, “The expansion forms part of CAF’s broader women’s football strategy to strengthen the women’s game through increased participation opportunities, enhanced competition structures and greater investment in football development across the continent.”

Now in its 14th edition, the tournament arrives amid growing investment in the women’s game across Africa.

“CAF has made significant progress in growing and developing women’s football,” the governing body said. “Over the last five years, the prize money for the winners of the Competition has increased from USD 150,000 to USD 1 million under CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe.”

The 16 nations qualified for Morocco 2026 are hosts Morocco, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, defending champions Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Matches will be staged in Rabat and Casablanca across five CAF-approved venues: Stade Moulay El Hassan, Stade Al Madina and Stade Olympique in Rabat, together with Stade Larbi Zaouli and Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca.

Nigeria will arrive as defending champions after securing a record-extending 10th continental title at the previous edition, but CAF expects strong competition throughout the field.

“The Super Falcons are expected to face strong competition from across the continent, including hosts Morocco, former champions South Africa, traditional powerhouses such as Cameroon and emerging contenders including Algeria, Zambia, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire,” CAF said.

Beyond the continental title, qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 will also be on the line.

“Adding further significance, this year’s finals will serve as Africa’s qualification tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027,” CAF said.

“The four quarter-final winners will secure automatic qualification to the global showpiece, while the four teams eliminated at that stage will remain in contention through the FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off pathway.”

CAF said that with continued investment and increasingly competitive national teams, the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON Morocco 2026 “is expected to be one of the most closely contested editions in the tournament’s history.”