More than the Score

What the report says

BBC Sport’s “More than the Score” has previewed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with Morocco staging the tournament and seeking to convert recent near-misses into a first continental title. The BBC World Service episode, published on 24 July 2026, frames the competition around whether Morocco can end Nigeria’s long-running dominance in African women’s football.

According to the BBC programme details, this edition follows another disrupted build-up and comes only a year after the previous tournament. Wafcon has now been expanded to 16 teams, a change presented as a new phase for the competition. Nigeria are pursuing what the episode calls “Mission XI” — an 11th continental crown — while Morocco enter as hosts after finishing as runners-up in the last two editions.

The episode also highlights other contenders and storylines, including South Africa’s attempt to recover from a disappointing previous finish and Zambia’s hopes of building on the momentum of a talented generation. Malawi and Cape Verde are noted as tournament debutants, with their involvement used to discuss the widening reach of the women’s game across the continent.

Host Maz Farookhi is joined by women’s football journalists Busisiwe Mokwena and Biola Solace-Chukwu to assess likely title challengers, major issues around the tournament and what the expanded format could mean for smaller nations. Beyond the immediate race for the trophy, the BBC positions Wafcon 2026 as a gauge of the future direction and competitive depth of women’s football in Africa.