The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rescheduled the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026 in Morocco, just days after the Kenya Women’s national team travelled to Ivory Coast to prepare. 

In a statement on Thursday, March 5, CAF confirmed that the adjustments followed high-level discussions among the federation, FIFA, and other stakeholders.

The tournament was initially scheduled for March 17 to April 3, 2026, but was rescheduled to begin from July 25 to August 16, 2026.

CAF noted that this adjustment was made to ensure the tournament’s success in light of unforeseen circumstances.

“After discussions between CAF and its partners, FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF decided to reschedule the dates of the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026, to July 25 – August 16 2026; to ensure the success of this important women’s competition, in the light of certain unforeseen circumstances,” CAF said in a statement.

Despite the reschedule, the federation maintained that preparations for the competition were underway and expressed confidence that the tournament would be a success.

It remains uncertain, however, whether Morocco will still host the competition, with South Africa mentioned as a potential alternative following the rescheduling.

Before the rescheduling, there had been widespread confusion in the media about whether the tournament would proceed on the originally scheduled dates.

This uncertainty arose because CAF had not yet finalised the competition calendar, confirmed the venues for the knockout rounds, issued media accreditation, appointed tournament officials, conducted its media workshop, or deployed security officials to the competition sites in Morocco.

The developments come at a time when the Kenyan team has already travelled to the Ivory Coast to prepare for the tournament that was to start in two weeks.

The Harambee Starlets have been drawn into group A, a group that is considered highly competitive as it consists of hosts Morocco, Senegal, and Algeria.

Kenya’s 2026 qualification for the competition marked the second-ever appearance in the tournament’s history. It first appeared at the tournament in 2016 in Cameroon, where the team lost all group stage matches, leading to ultimate elimination.

As uncertainty continues to surround WAFCON, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have intensified their preparations to host the 2027 AFCON for men, including the construction of modern, high-end stadiums such as the Raila Odinga Talanta Stadium in Nairobi.