CAF Postpones 2024 WAFCON to 2025 Due to Busy Women’s Football Calendar

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has made a significant decision regarding the date for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Originally scheduled for this year, the women’s top football tournament in Africa has been rescheduled to 2025 due to a congested calendar filled with various women’s football events.

CAF announced that the finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will now take place in Morocco from July 5, 2025, to July 26, 2025.

This decision was made during the CAF Executive Committee meeting on Friday.

The rescheduling was necessary because of overlapping events, including the Paris 2024 Olympics, where three African teams will participate in the women’s football event, along with qualifiers for the CAF Women’s Champions League and the main tournament later this year.

This marks the first time the WAFCON will be held outside its originally scheduled year. A similar situation occurred with the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for men, which was hosted by Côte d’Ivoire in 2024 instead of 2023.

Twelve teams have already qualified for the tournament. Defending champions South Africa will join host Morocco and nine-time African champions Nigeria.

The list of qualified teams also includes Zambia, Algeria, Ghana, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tunisia, Senegal, Tanzania, and Mali.

The rescheduled WAFCON aims to ensure that all participating teams have ample preparation time and that the tournament is held during a period that allows for maximum participation and viewership.