Three weeks on from the last-minute postponement of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), reasons for the delay remain a mystery, with a senior member of the Moroccan government saying the country was, and is, ready to host “any time”.
The tournament was due to kick off on 17 March but is now scheduled to run from 25 July to 16 August.
“That was a decision made at the Confederation of African Football (Caf),” Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour told BBC Sport Africa of the postponement.
“What I know is Morocco is always ready to host any competition, any time, and we will be very proud and very happy to host it, be it this month or within three months.”
Morocco has turned itself into a de facto home for continental football in recent years.
This will be the third consecutive Wafcon held in the kingdom, while it also hosted the 2022 and 2024 Women’s Champions League, last year’s Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), the 2023 Under-23 Afcon, futsal Afcons and the recent men’s senior Afcon – a tournament which ended in chaos as Senegal walked off the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions made in added time at the end of the final in Rabat.
The West Africans eventually returned to the field of play and claimed a dramatic 1-0 victory over the hosts in extra time – but that result was controversially overturned last week by Caf’s independent appeal board following a complaint by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
Caf’s disciplinary committee had initially rejected that appeal, instead deciding to issue sanctions which included a five-match ban for Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw.
When they were announced, the FRMF said those original penalties did not “reflect the seriousness of the incidents”, with the Moroccans’ ire leading to speculation about the country’s willingness to host Wafcon.
While BBC Sport Africa has been told that Morocco’s crowded international and domestic football calendar played a role in the postponement, the lack of clarity over the decision has been exacerbated by the brief statement released by Caf which cited “unforeseen circumstances”, with “partners, Fifa and other stakeholders” involved in the decision.
BBC Sport Africa was referred back to this statement when it asked Caf to respond to Mezzour’s claim that Morocco was ready to host this month.
