FIFA Reveals How Six African Teams Can Qualify for 2027 Women’s World Cup

• FIFA has confirmed that the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) will determine Africa’s representatives at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with four teams qualifying automatically and two others earning a second chance through an intercontinental play-off.

FIFA has officially confirmed the qualification pathway for African teams to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) serving as the continent’s qualifying tournament.

In a qualification guide published on its website on Sunday, the world football governing body announced that the tournament, scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 16, 2026, will determine the first four African nations to secure places at the global competition.

A further two teams will remain in contention by advancing to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

According to FIFA, 16 countries will compete at the 2026 WAFCON.

The participating nations are Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

The teams will be divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the quarter-finals.

FIFA explained that all four teams that reach the semi-finals will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

“The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will serve as FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

“After a group stage with four groups of four, the top two teams of each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. All four semi-finalists will qualify for Brazil 2027,” FIFA stated.

The football body also announced that the qualification race would not end for the teams eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Instead, the four losing quarter-finalists will compete in additional play-off matches to determine the two African teams that will advance to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.

According to FIFA, the intercontinental play-off competition will feature 10 nations—two each from Africa, Asia, Concacaf and South America, and one each from Europe and Oceania.

The first phase of the play-offs will take place in November and December 2026, while the final phase is scheduled for February 2027.

“The six teams will be drawn into three paths, with a direct knockout match to determine the final three teams qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. Teams from the same confederation will not be permitted to be drawn in the same pathway,” FIFA added.

Nigeria’s Super Falcons, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, will be aiming to qualify for a record 10th consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup, having featured in every edition since the inaugural tournament in 1991.

Ghana has qualified for the Women’s World Cup three times, while Cameroon and South Africa have each made two appearances.

Morocco, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea have each featured once at the global tournament.

The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027, marking the first time the competition will be staged in South America.