The second week of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco brought further evidence of the changing tide in Africa’s women’s football, with the last four sides remaining poised to produce a first-ever champion, following the shock elimination of the 10-time holders Nigeria and their recent rivals, South Africa.

The signs were clear from the opening week when Nigeria entered the last group game in a web of permutations following a seismic loss to debutants Malawi, before a hard-fought 1-0 win over the Copper Queens of Zambia. The same was the case for South Africa, who managed just one point from their first two games in Morocco but turned things around in their final group game to seal a quarter-final berth with the Atlas Lionesses.

South Africa’s struggles hitherto in the tournament offered little reason for optimism against a Moroccan side that has rarely looked out of place among Africa’s elite. It didn’t come as a shock when goals from Sakina Diki Ouzraoui and Hanane Aït El Haj secured a victory for the hosts against a Desiree Ellis side that couldn’t muster a comeback even after Thembi Kgatlana halved the deficit in ample time at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium. 

Then there was Nigeria’s Super Falcons. Yes, the record WAFCON holders began the campaign horrendously slowly, which is a testament to the recurring terrible preparation the Nigeria Football Federation has afforded them, with just three friendlies since beating Morocco to the trophy last July. Perhaps a fairer point would be the shrinking gap in Africa’s women’s football. However, the sum of everything isn’t something that began in this edition. The Super Falcons have, over the years, triumphed despite the many shortcomings, but this time, it would end in a shock 1-0 quarter-final loss to Cameroon on Sunday, their worst-ever WAFCON finish, and one that condemned them to the likelihood of missing the World Cup for the first time.

A New WAFCON Order

Aside from Cameroon and Morocco, both of whom effectively dealt with the continental hegemony of Nigeria and South Africa, the other two semifinalists in the 2026 WAFCON, Malawi and Algeria, are making their first-ever appearance in the last four of the competition.

Certainly, no side has done more than Malawi, the debutants, who began the tournament by staging that infamous upset against Nigeria. They would top the group before dispatching Ghana’s Black Queens 2-1 in their first-ever WAFCON quarterfinal to seal a historic semi-final berth and, more significantly,  qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. It is also Algeria’s first World Cup qualification and their first semi-final, albeit in their seventh WAFCON appearance.

Going global! 🇲🇼🌍

Malawi qualify for the 2027 #FIFAWWC.#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/XtGfOixbUN

— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) August 9, 2026

That means the WAFCON will have a first-time finalist, with the winner of the semi-final clash between both sides progressing to face the winner of the Cameroon and Morocco semi-final, the three-time and two-time finalists respectively.

The semi-final clashes are slated for Wednesday, with the final on Sunday, August 16, at the Olympic Stadium, Rabat.

The Old Guard’s Route to Redemption

The WCQ Play-Offs are coming. And the road to the World Cup gets intense. 🇨🇮🇬🇭🇿🇦🇳🇬#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/fXkBcfyCH6

— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) August 10, 2026

It’s probably for the good of the tournament and Africa’s women’s football that a new champion will emerge in its 14th edition. For the two old guards who have colonised WAFCON history, a shot at the trophy and automatic World Cup qualification might be out of the window, but they both have a backdoor route, and only one of them can take it.

To fight for the inter-confederation play-offs for a place in next year’s Mundial, South Africa and Nigeria will face each other in a continental play-in on Thursday. Likewise, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, the other quarter-final losers, will also face each other to determine the continent’s second representative for the inter-confederation play-offs slated for later this year.