Hugues Zinsou Zounon slams CAF over controversial decision to include Ivory Coast, Egypt, and others in 2026 WAFCON

Beninese journalist Hugues Zinsou Zounon has openly criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following its decision to reinstate Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Egypt, and Mali into the qualifiers for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) based solely on their FIFA rankings.

CAF’s move has sparked widespread debate across the continent, as it effectively grants these teams a “second chance” despite their earlier elimination from the qualification series.

Zounon expressed disbelief at what he described as an “inconsistent and unfair” decision, arguing that CAF ignored actual results achieved on the field in favour of arbitrary ranking metrics.

READ MORE: CAF reinstates Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mali, and Egypt for expanded 2026 Women’s AFCON

“I can only imagine the frustration of Togo, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ethiopia, Namibia, and Angola,” he lamented.

He highlighted several examples of teams that were eliminated after close contests. The Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, narrowly missed out after drawing the first leg and losing 1-0 in the second against South Africa. Similarly, Benin fell 2-0 in Lomé before managing a 1-1 draw in Uyo, Nigeria.

Despite such competitive displays, CAF overlooked these nations while reinstating teams that suffered heavy defeats. Egypt, for example, were thrashed 7-0 on aggregate by Ghana, while Cameroon and Mali also lost both home and away in their respective qualifiers.

“The CAF therefore took only the FIFA ranking into account, completely ignoring the results obtained on the field. What inconsistency, what an absurdity!” Zounon argued.

He also questioned CAF’s broader credibility and decision-making process, noting that the same organisation, in collaboration with FIFA, is set to oversee the 2026 World Cup playoffs for men in November 2025.

“This second chance, instead of being based on current performance, relies solely on the FIFA ranking,” he noted. “The Confederation is frustrating the female footballers of several nations who legitimately hoped for a fair opportunity.”

Zounon further criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the decision, pointing out that the African media only learned of the new qualification formula after the fact.

“Overall, the continent’s press is denouncing the opaque operating methods of certain federations and of CAF itself, which should be acting according to the principles of fairness and sporting merit,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, the outspoken journalist challenged CAF to justify its choice, questioning the legitimacy of Egypt’s reinstatement in particular.

“So, let someone demonstrate to me, with supporting evidence, that Egypt is better than the Democratic Republic of Congo in women’s football,” he demanded.

CAF has yet to officially respond to the growing criticism surrounding its selection criteria for the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers.