The captain of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, Rasheedat Ajibade, has expressed her deep frustration over the unexpected decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 12 days before kickoff to July.
The continental showpiece, which serves as the premier national team competition for women’s football in Africa, was originally scheduled to kick off on March 17, 2026.
However, in a brief statement released on Thursday, CAF announced a postponement, pushing the tournament to July of the same year. The tournament will now be held from July 25 to August 16.
The African football governing body cited “some unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for the postponement, without providing further immediate details on the nature of these challenges.
The Nigerian skipper, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Women in France, took to her official X (formerly Twitter) account to express her disappointment at the rescheduling in a brief statement.
“African women’s football deserves better,” Ajibade wrote, accompanying the text with a disappointed emoji and some hashtags.
The frustration comes after days of her leading the Super Falcons in a pair of international friendly matches against Cameroon.
The postponement highlights some challenges facing the tournament, including timeline instability, logistical changes, and a lack of transparent communication.
The sudden shift in the WAFCON schedule now throws those preparations into disarray, forcing coaches and players across the continent to redraw their plans.
The postponement raises several questions for participating nations, including Nigeria, which won the tournament for the record 10th time last year and will be going for the 11th title in Morocco.
Key among these sets of questions is the availability of players, as the new July dates fall outside the primary international window, potentially clashing with pre-season training for many professionals or even overlapping with club commitments.
Furthermore, the delay prolongs the qualification process and disrupts the carefully planned calendars of the 12 qualified teams.
The tournament doubles up as a qualifier for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
There have been whispers that Morocco, which hosted the last two, is unwilling to host the tournament again after the chaotic scenes that played out in the 2025 men’s AFCON final, which Morocco lost 1-0 to Senegal in a dramatic match at the Stade Moulay Abdellah stadium in Rabat.