The 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifiers have already delivered some shocking results in the first round. Former champions Equatorial Guinea and Tunisia were among the teams that faced unexpected eliminations, while Kenya made headlines with a stunning victory.

Former Champions Equatorial Guinea Exit Early

Equatorial Guinea, who won the Wafcon in 2008 and 2012, have been knocked out of the qualifiers after a disappointing performance against Tanzania. Despite being 63 places above Tanzania in the world rankings, Equatorial Guinea could only manage a 1-1 draw at home in the second leg, following a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. This marks another setback for the team, which has failed to qualify for Wafcon since 2018.

Kenya's Historic Win Over Tunisia

Kenya delivered one of the biggest shocks of the qualifiers by eliminating Tunisia with a 1-0 victory, despite being 71 places below their opponents in the FIFA rankings. The match was decided by an early goal from Tereza Engesha, while goalkeeper Lilian Awuor played a crucial role by saving two penalties. This historic win sees Kenya advance to the second round, where they will face The Gambia.

Other Notable Results

• Botswana were eliminated without even participating in the 2024 edition of the tournament, as they drew 0-0 against DR Congo and exited 2-0 on aggregate.
• Togo and Mali were the most dominant teams, winning 10-0 and 10-1 on aggregate against Djibouti and Gabon, respectively.
• Ethiopia came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Uganda 5-4 on penalties, while Namibia advanced with a 4-0 aggregate win over Eswatini.

Looking Ahead to the Second Round

The second round of qualifiers, scheduled for October 2025, will determine which 11 teams will join Morocco, the hosts, in the 2026 tournament. Defending champions South Africa, Zambia, and Nigeria are among the teams that received a bye to the second round.

The Confederation of African Football has yet to announce the dates for the 2026 Wafcon finals, but the tournament promises to be an exciting one with several underdog stories already shaping up.

For more updates on the Wafcon 2026 qualifiers, stay tuned to our coverage of African women's football.