Following competing reports suggesting a possible venue change, the hosting rights for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations are in doubt.
Despite an existing agreement with the Confederation of African Football, comments from South Africa implied that Morocco could not longer hold the tournament, therefore creating uncertainty.
Following the successful staging of the two most recent events, CAF selected Morocco to manage the competition. But remarks attributed to South Africa’s deputy sports minister over the weekend indicate the North African country had pulled back and that South Africa was poised to step in.
Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport of South Africa, quickly rejected these allegations, pointing out that no official ruling had been made to move the event. The confirmed host remains Morocco, he stressed; South Africa has only indicated its willingness to help CAF in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
For any modification in the host nation, formal CAF clearance, governmental approval, venue and infrastructure verification, and event criteria must all be met. He described the hypothesis as part of regular contingency conversations instead of as an ongoing relocation operation.
Royal Moroccan Football Federation officials also denied rumors of a withdrawal, saying that Morocco is totally dedicated to staging the competition. They claimed the conjecture was unrelated to the preparations Morocco was making.
CAF has not yet commented officially on this issue. Nigeria will enter the competition as defending champions of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from March 17 to April 3.
