THE Super Falcons of Nigeria will be up against neighbours Benin Republic in the final qualifying round of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Benin Republic, ranked 144th in the world to Nigeria’s 36th, will be overwhelming underdogs against the Super Falcons, who won a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in Morocco in July.
The race for tickets to next year’s tournament, which will be held in Morocco just as the last two editions, will be concluded in October.
Cameroon’s Lionesses, runners-up in 2014 in Namibia and in 2016 when they hosted (both times beaten by Nigeria in the final), will be up against Algeria’s Lady Fennecs in the final qualifying fixture set for October 20 to October 28.
Algeria are a rising power in women’s football in Africa, with the Lady Fennecs finishing in second place behind the Super Falcons in their group in the last WAFCON.
They defeated Botswana 1-0 and drew 0-0 with both Tunisia and the Super Falcons to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost on penalties to Ghana.
The Indomitable Lionesses also failed to qualify for this year’s tournament staged in Morocco, and lost 2-0 to the Super Falcons in a friendly match played in Abeokuta weeks before the continental.
Benin Republic will host the first leg against Justine Madugu’s Super Falcons, before Nigeria play host to the return leg.
To reach the final round of the qualification series, Benin Republic defeated Sierra Leone 5-2 on aggregate, winning 2-1 in Togo and 3-1 in Monrovia, as both teams had to play their home matches on away ground due to absence of any CAF-approved match venue in both countries.
Senegal’s Lionesses, who reached the quarter-finals in Morocco last month before losing to South Africa on penalties after 0-0 in regulation and extra time, face a daunting task against Cote d’Ivoire in the final round.
The winners of 11 final qualifying ties will join hosts Morocco in the tournament that has been scheduled for March 2026, and from where all four semi-finalists will advance to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Two additional slots are available for Africa through a play-off tournament, as was the case before the 2023 finals in Australia and New Zealand.
Just as was the case in Down Under, the final competition in Brazil (set for June 24 to July 25, 2027) will have 32 teams.
However, world football-ruling body FIFA has increased the numbers of teams for the final competition to 48, starting with the 11th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031, to be co-hosted by Mexico and the United States of America.
FIXTURES
Angola Vs Malawi
DR Congo Vs South Africa
Tanzania Vs Ethiopia
Namibia Vs Zambia
Burkina Faso Vs Togo
Algeria Vs Cameroon
Egypt Vs Ghana
Kenya Vs Gambia
Benin Republic Vs Nigeria
Cape Verde Vs Mali
Senegal Vs Cote d’Ivoire