Teams, dates, bonuses: everything you need to know about the 2026 women’s CAN which begins in Morocco

By remon

July 24, 2026 3 Min Read

Comments Off

Six months after the most controversial final in the history of the African Cup of Nations between Senegal and Morocco, the CAN is already back in the country of the Lions and Lionesses of the Atlas. Now it’s time for women for the 14th edition of the continental competition.

A new Moroccan edition

Initially, CAN 2026 was to be played from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco. But a long imbroglio sowed doubt at the end of February about the place and date before a postponement was announced on March 5.

The African Confederation (CAF) explained that the decision came after discussions with Fifa and other stakeholders, “due to unforeseen circumstances which made it difficult to maintain the original schedule”.

While South Africa had applied to organize the competition in place of Morocco, the women’s CAN will ultimately take place in Rabat and Casablanca, for the third consecutive time.

A tournament expanded to 16 teams

On November 4, the CAF executive committee approved an evolution of its major women’s tournament. With the 2026 edition, the CAN is expanded to 16 teams.

Twelve teams had won their ticket at the end of the qualifiers: Morocco, host country, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, Cape Verde and Senegal.

The reform thus allowed the repechage of four nations which had missed out during qualifying: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Egypt.

A fairly classic format

With 16 teams, the format of this CAN is quite classic. The selections are divided into four groups of four. The best two from each group advance to the quarter-finals. Unlike the old format, no third will be drafted, making each match decisive from the first round.

In the event of a tie on points, the teams will be decided by goal difference, the number of goals scored, direct confrontations, then the fair play ranking. Another new feature, video assistance refereeing (VAR) will be used from the group stage.

Also read“Gender should not determine your success”: the message from the only female referee of CAN 2025

From the quarter-finals onwards, the matches will be played by direct elimination with extra time, then a penalty shootout if necessary.

The CAN 2026 groups

Group A

Morocco
Algeria
Senegal
Kenya

Group B

South Africa
Ivory Coast
Burkina Faso
Tanzania

Group C

Zambia
Nigeria
Egypt
Malawi

Group D

Ghana
Cameroon
Mali
Cape Verde

The issues

The 16 teams will only have eyes for the African champion trophy, presented last year in a renewed design.

But that’s not all: Patrice Motsepe announced on Wednesday July 22 the increase in bonuses for the teams. The participation bonus has been increased from $125,000 to $150,000 per team. For the winner, the reward increases from 1 to 2 million dollars.

Beyond the continental trophy, this CAN also serves as qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will directly qualify. The four teams eliminated in the quarter-finals will play a play-off tournament to designate two additional representatives for the World Cup.