Former Banyana Banyana performance analyst, Shilene Booysen, has welcomed the move by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to increase the number of participants in the upcoming CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations from 12 to 16.
This will be the highest number of countries in the history of tournament when the 16th edition is held next year from 17 March to 3 April.
Previously, only eight teams took part between 1998 and 2022, and since then there have been 12 nations battling it out for the continental title, until the latest change where four more teams have been added.
Booysen, who was previously head coach of South Sudan, and more recently Wadi Degla in Egypt, also works for FIFA.
“At last the women’s game in Africa is being given the recognition it deserves. The introduction of the U17 AFCON tournament and the expansion of the senior edition to 16 teams, is more than just progress. This is a statement that the future of African women’s football is strong, it’s growing and it’s becoming unstoppable,” said an excited Booysen who will form part of the Technical Study Group (TSG) at the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League starting this weekend (8 November 2025) in Egypt.
“This also means that we are creating a true pathway for our girls and women in Africa to develop, compete, and shine on every stage, driving the growth and long-term sustainability of the women’s game. Huge shoutout to the CAF President and the competitions and women’s departments for the initiative. This is what we have been fighting and planning for!”
According to CAF, Cameroon, Egypt, Mali and the Ivory Coast will make up the 16 teams heading to Morocco. The quartet was among those knocked out in the recently ended WAFCON 2026 qualifiers.
They will join the 12 that have already booked their tickets to the prestigious women’s continental tournament – debutants Malawi and Cape Verde, defending champions Nigeria, hosts Morocco, 2022 champions South Africa as well as Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia.
“The Executive Committee of the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has approved the expansion of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, starting with the next edition to be staged in Morocco from 17 March-3 April 2026. As the qualification phase for the 2026 edition has already been completed, the Executive Committee has approved the selection mechanism to determine the four additional teams,” said CAF in a statement.
“Based on the current FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the top four teams from those eliminated in the final qualifying round have been selected to complete the list of participants. The decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent. This will allow more nations to participate in African women’s football’s flagship competition, contributing to its continued growth and global reach.”
The stakes are high in the 2026 edition of the WAFCON as it serves as a qualifier for the 2027 Brazil FIFA Women’s World Cup – the semi-finalists will secure tickets to South America and represent the African continent at the global women’s football showpiece.
With the expansion of the WAFCON to 16 teams comes a challenge as recently stated by Banyana Banyana assistant coach Thinasonke Mbuli after leading South Africa to qualification during head coach Desiree Ellis’ absence.
“Going to Morocco with 16 teams means now it will be more difficult to qualify for the quarterfinals because we won’t need best number three – only the top two will qualify for the quarters and then the semi-finals. So, it will be very tough because in the tournament of 12 everyone had a chance to qualify for the knockout stages, now the upcoming WAFCON will be very difficult,” said Mbuli.
All the qualified teams:
| Team (rank) | Appearances | |
| 1. | Morocco (64) | 5th |
| 2. | Zambia (65) | 5th |
| 3. | Tanzania (131) | 3rd |
| 4. | Malawi (155) | DEBUT |
| 5. | Algeria (80) | 7th |
| 6. | Nigeria (36) | 14th |
| 7. | Ghana (67) | 12th |
| 8. | Burkina Faso (134) | 2nd |
| 9. | Kenya (140) | 2nd |
| 10. | South Africa (54) | 14th |
| 11. | Cape Verde (126) | DEBUT |
| 12. | Senegal (81) | 4th |
| 13. | Cameroon (67) | 13th |
| 14. | Ivory Coast (71) | 3rd |
| 15. | Mali (79) | 9th |
| 16. | Egypt (95) | 3rd |
By Matlhomola Morake
