WAFCON 2026: Quarter-final line-up confirmed as giants battle for World Cup spots

The quarter-final stage of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has been confirmed, with eight teams set to compete for places in the last four of Africa’s biggest women’s football tournament.

The decisive knockout matches will take place on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, across venues in Morocco, with defending champions Nigeria, hosts Morocco, Ghana, Cameroon, Malawi, Algeria, Ivory Coast and South Africa all remaining in contention for continental glory.

The action begins on Saturday, August 8, when Ivory Coast face Algeria at the Casablanca venue in a highly anticipated North African-West African encounter. The match is scheduled for 17:00 GMT.

Later the same day, hosts Morocco will take on South Africa in Rabat at 20:00 GMT in what promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the quarter-final round.

Morocco will be hoping to continue their strong home campaign, while South Africa arrive with ambitions of challenging for the title.

Sunday’s fixtures will see another set of heavyweight clashes. Cameroon will meet defending champions Nigeria in Casablanca at 17:00 GMT in a battle between two of Africa’s most successful women’s football nations.

The final quarter-final tie will feature Ghana against Malawi in Rabat at 20:00 GMT. The Black Queens secured their place in the last eight after drawing 1-1 with Mali in their final Group D match, a result that was enough to send them through.

Ghana will now look to overcome Malawi and move closer to a historic WAFCON achievement, but they face a determined opponent that has impressed during the tournament.

Malawi’s qualification has been one of the surprises of the competition, adding further excitement to the knockout stage.

The quarter-final schedule is as follows:

Saturday, August 8, 2026

• Ivory Coast vs Algeria — Casablanca, 17:00 GMT
• Morocco vs South Africa — Rabat, 20:00 GMT

Sunday, August 9, 2026

• Cameroon vs Nigeria — Casablanca, 17:00 GMT
• Malawi vs Ghana — Rabat, 20:00 GMT

The winners of the quarter-final matches will advance to the semi-finals and continue their pursuit of the WAFCON 2026 crown.

The tournament also carries significant importance as it serves as part of Africa’s qualification route for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.