CAF’S DECISION ON WOMEN’S AFCON 2026 SPARKS DEBATE OVER FAIRNESS

CAF’S DECISION ON WOMEN’S AFCON 2026 SPARKS DEBATE OVER FAIRNESS

CAF’s recent decision regarding the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has triggered strong reactions across the continent — raising questions of fairness, merit, and respect for the game.

Instead of letting teams earn their qualification on the pitch, CAF has opted to award the final four spots based solely on FIFA Women’s World Rankings. For many, this move goes against the core spirit of football — where results on the field should speak louder than numbers on a list.

THE PITCH SHOULD SPEAK — NOT THE RANKINGS

Football is about effort, passion, sacrifice and victory earned across 90 minutes.
Yet now, statistics seem ready to replace sweat, strategy, and performance.

Here are the teams that qualified by merit on the field:

 Nigeria
 South Africa
 Morocco
 Zambia
 Ghana
 Algeria
 Senegal
 Cape Verde
 Tanzania
 Burkina Faso
 Kenya
 Malawi

Malawi (155th), Cape Verde (126th), and Kenya (140th) showed everyone that rankings don’t determine destiny — passion does.

BUT THE NEW RULE COULD REWARD TEAMS THAT WERE ELIMINATED

With CAF’s new approach, teams like:

 Cameroon
 Ivory Coast
 Mali
 Egypt

may return despite being knocked out, while teams like Benin — who fought fearlessly — may be left out simply because of their ranking.

What message does that send?

A WORRYING DIRECTION FOR AFRICAN FOOTBALL

If rankings start to replace performance, why play qualifiers at all?
Why invest? Why believe? Why compete?

African women’s football has been rising not because of office decisions, but because nations are fighting for respect and visibility on the pitch.

AFRICAN FOOTBALL DESERVES FAIRNESS

Qualification must be earned on grass, not awarded on spreadsheets.

For the dignity of the game, CAF must rethink this decision — because the credibility of the tournament is at stake.

✍️ Written by: Romeo AKLOZO