Falcons face Benin test in WAFCON qualifiers

Reigning CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, the Super Falcons, will begin the race to secure a spot for the 2026 edition with a two-legged clash against Benin Republic in the final qualification round, THE PRIME NEWS reports.

The coach Justin Madugu-led side, who conquered the continent to win a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in Morocco last July, will square up against the She-Cheetahs across two legs in a bid to qualify for the biennial showpiece.

The Beninoise will welcome their West African neighbours in the first leg, before embarking on an away trip to Nigeria. Both legs of the qualifiers will be held within the window of October 20 and 28.

Benin reached this stage by defeating their counterparts from Sierra Leone 5-2 on aggregate. They claimed a 2-1 away win in Togo, before completing the job in the return fixture courtesy of a 3-1 victory in Monrovia. Both sides had to play their home matches on an away ground, because they had no CAF-approved match venues.

The winners of the 11 fixtures in the final qualifying round will join hosts Morocco in the competition proper, which will hold in March 2026, and from which all four semi-finalists will pick automatic tickets to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup set to be staged in Brazil.

Two extra slots are available for the CAF zone via a play-off tournament, as was the case for the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand. The competition in Brazil in 2027 will be the last edition to feature 32 teams, with the 2031 tournament to have 48 teams.