2026 WAFCON in limbo as Morocco snubs tournament after AFCON final fallout 

Morocco have pulled out of hosting the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON.

The North Africans hosted the rest of the continent for the men’s version of the competition, where they lost under dramatic circumstances to Senegal.

The Atlas Lions were a kick away from emerging victorious, after the referee controversially awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time.

But Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz stepped up and executed one of the worst panenka kicks you would ever see.

Four minutes into extra time, Pape Gueye unleashed an unstoppable effort past Yassine Bounou, to ensure the Teranga Lions emerged champions.

Since then, both Morocco and Senegal have been heavily punished by the Confederation of African Football, CAF, for the incidents that happened in that game.

So, does Morocco feel hard done by, with how it all went down that night in Rabat?

“Yes, definitely,” Wale Agbede, a renowned sports broadcaster, told DAILY POST.

“When you look at the reaction after the AFCON, when you look at how Moroccans have reacted, it feels like it feels like something across board.

“When you look at how Moroccan journalists behaved at the end of the final, bullying the Senegalese coach and his daughter in the press room, obviously they did feel hard done by at the end of the tournament.

“Even some of the players and the fans in the stands. The way they were behaving, you can feel they are hard done by.

“However, they did have the chance to win the game. If Brahim Diaz had kicked the ball into the net, they would have been champions. It is nobody’s fault that they didn’t score.”

Has all of this resulted in Morocco deciding to opt out of hosting the WAFCON?

“Yes. They are just being unnecessarily arrogant,” Agbede replies.

“To be fair, Morocco has done CAF a lot of favours in recent years. They have invested in having capacity to host sporting events and tournaments. And there has been more than one occasion where they have had to step in, even when they weren’t supposed to host a tournament. Just because they have the facilities.

“But has that then gotten into their heads? Do they now feel they now have the right to behave however they want, especially if they feel something hasn’t gone the way they want?

“I think that is happening. It is a level of arrogance they have allocated to themselves and it is unacceptable.

“And I think the reason they are doing all these shenanigans around the WAFCON, is because they feel they shouldn’t have been punished by CAF the way they have.

“But CAF has the absolute power to punish any federation or national team in Africa.

“If any federation thinks they are superior to others because of favours they have done for CAF, it is just a level of arrogance that is unacceptable.

“And maybe it’s just good riddance that they are refusing to host the WAFCON.

“The WAFCON will still go ahead. The pitches might not be as silk and the experience might not be as pristine as fans and journalists would enjoy if they went to Morocco.”

Earlier this week, South Africa’s sports minister, Gayton McKenzie insisted that “no formal decision has been taken to relocate” the 2026 WAFCON away from Morocco, after his deputy announced that they would step in and stage the finals.

The tournament is scheduled to kick off March 17.

2026 WAFCON in limbo as Morocco snubs tournament after AFCON final fallout