Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi have secured their spots at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which is doubling as Africa's qualifying tournament. The four automatic places went to whichever nations advanced past the quarter-final stage of the competition, currently being hosted in Morocco.
Algeria claimed a first-ever Women's World Cup berth by defeating a 10-player Ivory Coast side 2-1, with Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham scoring the goals that sealed the win after Ivorian defender N'Sira Oudraogo was sent off while her side held a 1-0 lead.
Morocco, the tournament hosts, beat South Africa 2-1 courtesy of goals from Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj, guaranteeing their second Women's World Cup appearance. Morocco previously featured at the 2023 edition, where they exited in the last 16 against France.
Cameroon booked their place with a narrow 1-0 victory over Nigeria, decided by a 30-yard free-kick from 19-year-old Myriam Nyadjou. The fourth and final automatic slot went to Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, who produced one of the tournament's biggest shocks by coming from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 through goals from Temwa Chawinga and Rose Kadzere.
How does the rest of Africa's qualification path work?
The four teams eliminated at the quarter-final stage — Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa — have not been knocked out of World Cup contention entirely. According to ESPN, those four sides move into a separate African play-off bracket, with the winners earning a route into the global inter-confederation play-offs rather than direct qualification.
Ivory Coast face Ghana, while Nigeria meet South Africa on Thursday 13 August 2026, with the two winners advancing to a 10-nation inter-confederation play-off tournament scheduled for November and December. Only three of those 10 nations will ultimately qualify for Brazil 2027, meaning two of Africa's remaining hopefuls will be competing against teams from other continents for the final places.
What has changed since the quarter-finals?
Since the source material for this story was first reported, both Algeria and Morocco have now formally sealed their qualification, according to a report from The Star, which confirmed the pair joined Cameroon and Malawi as Africa's four automatic qualifiers on 8 August 2026. A separate account from confirmed that Malawi's win over Ghana completed the continent's four direct spots, marking the country's first-ever Women's World Cup qualification.
The tournament itself, being staged across Morocco from 26 July to 16 August 2026, was structured from the outset with a dual purpose: crowning an African champion while simultaneously deciding the continent's World Cup representatives, according to an athletic preview. The competition featured 16 teams split into four groups of four, with the top two in each group progressing to the knockout quarter-finals, as detailed by a report on FIFA's qualification format.
What happens next in the tournament?
The WAFCON semi-finals are set for Wednesday, with Morocco facing Cameroon before Algeria takes on Malawi. According to a fixtures guide, those semi-finals are scheduled for 12 August 2026, with the beaten quarter-finalists playing their World Cup qualifying play-off matches a day later, on 13 August 2026. The tournament concludes with the WAFCON final in Rabat on 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere, England, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all retain a path to Brazil 2027 through the European play-offs, running from October to December. Each of the five nations would need to win two separate two-legged ties to secure qualification.
The 2027 Women's World Cup, hosted by Brazil, will run from 24 June to 25 July and will feature 32 nations in total. Eighteen of those places have now been determined.
Key Facts
- Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi have qualified for the 2027 Women's World Cup via the WAFCON semi-finals.
- Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, beat Ghana 2-1 to claim their first-ever World Cup berth.
- Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa still have a route via a 10-team inter-confederation play-off.
- WAFCON semi-finals take place on 12 August 2026, with the final in Rabat on 16 August 2026.
- England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can still qualify through European play-offs running October to December.
