Four teams have secured places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) staged in Morocco.
Semi-final spots bring World Cup qualification
Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi all progressed to the WAFCON last four and, in doing so, guaranteed themselves one of the continent’s automatic slots at next summer’s global tournament. The semi-final qualification mechanism means any nation reaching the WAFCON semi-finals earns direct entry to the World Cup.
The headline result was Algeria reaching the last four for the first time in their history and thereby booking a maiden Women’s World Cup appearance. They overturned a 1-0 deficit to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 after the Ivorians were reduced to 10 players when N’Sira Oudraogo was sent off. Algeria’s winners were scored by Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham.
Hosts Morocco sealed their place with a 2-1 victory over South Africa, with goals from Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj. Cameroon edged Nigeria 1-0 thanks to a remarkable 30-yard free-kick from 19-year-old Myriam Nyadjou. The fourth semi-final berth yielded one of the tournament's biggest shocks: Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 courtesy of strikes by Temwa Chawinga and Rose Kadzere.
- Algeria — first-ever Women’s World Cup qualification after beating Ivory Coast.
- Morocco — hosts of WAFCON and now heading to Brazil.
- Cameroon — 1-0 win over Nigeria; decisive free-kick from Myriam Nyadjou.
- Malawi — 153rd in FIFA rankings, produced a major upset over Ghana.
What comes next at WAFCON and for the World Cup hopefuls
The WAFCON semi-finals are scheduled for Wednesday and will pair Morocco against Cameroon, while Algeria face Malawi. Although those four sides have secured World Cup tickets, the tournament’s quarter-final losers — Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa — still have a route to Brazil.
Two of those four will progress to the intercontinental play-offs after victory in matches scheduled for Thursday: Ivory Coast play Ghana, and Nigeria meet South Africa. The winners will join a 10-nation play-off series in November and December, from which three teams will earn the remaining places at the 2027 World Cup.
The global finals in Brazil will expand to 32 nations. With the Africa qualifiers decided today, 18 of the 32 participants are now known. The source list of confirmed nations named in the WAFCON report includes:
| Confederation | Qualified nations (as named) |
|---|---|
| Africa | Algeria, Cameroon, Malawi, Morocco |
| Asia/Oceania | Australia, China, Japan, North Korea, Philippines, South Korea, New Zealand |
| Europe | Denmark, France, Germany, Spain |
| South America | Argentina |
European nations including England, Republic of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland remain in contention through the European play-offs, which will run from October to December. Each of those five countries must win two two-legged ties to secure a World Cup berth.
For African football, the qualification of emerging sides such as Algeria and Malawi highlights shifting dynamics on the continent, with smaller footballing nations increasingly able to challenge established powers. The intercontinental play-offs will offer a final lifeline to some of the bigger names that faltered in the WAFCON quarter-finals.
With the World Cup scheduled to run from 24 June to 25 July 2027, attention will now turn to the draw and preparations in Brazil, and to the remaining play-off series which will complete the 32-team line-up.
