WAFCON 2026: 4 African Nations Seal 2027 Women's World Cup Qualification

The road to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil is well underway, with the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco serving as the continent's primary qualifying tournament.

The four teams that advance to the WAFCON semi-finals automatically secure their spots in the global showpiece.

Four nations have already punched their tickets to Brazil by winning their respective quarter-final matches. Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, and Malawi have all qualified for the World Cup.

Meanwhile, the journey is not over for the quarter-final losers. Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa will now compete in a play-off round for a chance to advance to the intercontinental play-offs.

1) Algeria

Algeria has made history by qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the very first time. The Fennecs secured their spot with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Côte d’Ivoire in the WAFCON quarter-finals.

After falling behind early, goals from Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham sealed the historic win and a place in the semi-finals.

However, their WAFCON run came to a halt in the semi-finals after a dramatic 3–1 defeat to Malawi, where an early red card put them at a major disadvantage against the Chawinga sisters.

However, the team bounced back strongly in the third-place play-off against hosts Morocco, holding them to a 1–1 draw in regulation.

Algeria went on to win the ensuing penalty shoot-out 3–2 to secure the bronze medal and achieve their best-ever finish in tournament history.

2) Morocco

Tournament hosts Morocco booked their place at a third consecutive Women's World Cup by defeating South Africa 2-1.

Goals from Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj ensured the Atlas Lionesses progressed to the WAFCON semi-finals, keeping their hopes of winning the continental title on home soil alive.

3) Cameroon

In a stunning upset, Cameroon eliminated defending champions Nigeria to claim their World Cup spot. The Indomitable Lionesses secured a 1-0 victory over the Super Falcons, thanks to a decisive long-range strike from 19-year-old Myriam Nyadjou.

The result not only ended Nigeria's title defence but also confirmed Cameroon's return to the world stage. In a nerve-wracking semi-final against Morocco, they held off a hostile crowd through a 0–0 draw before clinching a 3–1 victory in the penalty shootout.

Carrying that momentum into the final, Cameroon delivered a masterclass performance to comfortably defeat Malawi 3–0. The decisive victory capped off an undefeated knockout stage and sealed an unforgettable gold medal campaign.

4) Malawi

Malawi delivered one of the tournament's biggest surprises, overcoming Ghana 2-1 to reach the WAFCON semi-finals and qualify for their first-ever Women's World Cup.

Despite conceding an early goal to Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, the Scorchers fought back with an equaliser from Temwa Chawinga before Rose Kadzere scored the historic winning goal.

In the semi-finals, they powered past Algeria with a decisive 3–1 victory, driven by the star power of the Chawinga sisters. Despite falling 3–0 to Cameroon in the final, Malawi secured a historic second-place finish.

While eliminated from WAFCON title contention, Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa still have a path to the 2027 World Cup. These four teams will now enter an African play-off tournament.

The upcoming fixtures will see Côte d’Ivoire face Ghana, while Nigeria takes on South Africa. The two winners will advance to the 10-team intercontinental play-offs, where the final three spots for the World Cup will be decided.

The 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to take place in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027.