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Desiree Ellis: South Africa coach Welcomes CAF revision of WAFCON 2026 schedule
Dr Desiree Ellis, head coach of South Africa women’s national team has praised the Confederation of African Football after it released updated fixtures for the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, citing improved player welfare and better scheduling conditions.
The revised calendar shows that the tournament will now begin on 26 July 2026, a day later than previously announced. Banyana Banyana will also no longer feature on the opening day, instead starting their campaign on 27 July 2026.
A key change sees the 2022 champions relocated from Rabat to Casablanca for the group stages, where all their Group B matches will be played at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.
Dr Ellis welcomed the extended recovery time between matches, highlighting its importance in the demanding conditions expected during the tournament.
“The new fixture gives us three days of rest in-between matches instead of the previous one where we only had two days to recover. This move is a clear indication that the welfare of players has been taken into consideration, more so because of the hot conditions expected during the tournament period. We applaud CAF for that move and say thank you as this will help most teams,” said Ellis.
Banyana Banyana will open their Group B campaign against Tanzania women’s national football team at 18:00 local time in Morocco (19:00 South African time). They will then face Côte d’Ivoire women’s national football team four days later at the same venue, before concluding their group stage fixtures against Burkina Faso women’s national football team.
All matches will be played at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, with the final group game scheduled for 22:00 South African time.
The 2026 edition carries added significance, as the top four teams will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, raising the stakes for all 16 participating nations.
Ellis added that having confirmed fixtures allows for more detailed planning as the team builds toward the tournament.
“What is also exciting is that now we have the confirmed fixtures, and we are able to plan thoroughly for the competition, and we will now go full blast with our plans,” she said.
“This is a very important tournament, and the mission remains the same for us: we want to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next year. Now that we have all the information regarding the 2026 WAFCON, we will announce our plans soon, and this includes naming the final squad for the tournament.”
Hosts Morocco women’s national football team will open the tournament on 26 July 2026 against Kenya women’s national football team at the Moulay Al Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
The knockout phase will begin with the quarterfinals on 8 and 9 August across venues in Rabat and Casablanca, including the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Al Madina Stadium, Moulay Rachid Stadium, and Larbi Zaouli Stadium.
Semi-finals will be held on 12 August at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium and Olympic Stadium in Rabat, while the final is scheduled for 16 August at either Moulay El Hassan Stadium or Moulay Abdallah Stadium. The third-place play-off will take place a day earlier at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Nigeria women’s national football team enter the tournament as reigning champions after defeating hosts Morocco in the previous final, with Ghana women’s national football team finishing third and South Africa placing fourth.
