Algeria, Cameroon, Malawi, and Morocco have secured places at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON 2026) staged in Morocco.
Algeria qualified for the tournament for the first time after beating 10-player Ivory Coast 2-1. Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham scored for Algeria after N’Sira Oudraogo was sent off while Ivory Coast were leading 1-0.
Hosts Morocco defeated South Africa 2-1, with Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj scoring to secure their second World Cup appearance after their last-16 exit in 2023.
Cameroon also booked their place after a 1-0 victory over Nigeria, with 19-year-old Myriam Nyadjou scoring a spectacular 30-yard free-kick.
Malawi produced the biggest upset, beating Ghana 2-1 after coming from behind. Temwa Chawinga and Rose Kadzere scored for Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world. The Wafcon semi-finals will be played on Wednesday, with Morocco facing Cameroon and Algeria taking on Malawi.
Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa, who lost in the quarter-finals, still have a route to the World Cup through the intercontinental play-offs. Ivory Coast will face Ghana on Thursday, while Nigeria take on South Africa, with the two winners advancing to the 10-nation play-offs in November and December.
Three of the 10 teams in the play-offs will qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027. A total of 32 nations will compete at the tournament, with 18 countries having qualified so far.