Women’s AFCON 2026: Morocco Seeks New Dates to Save the Tournament

The organization of the Women’s AFCON, initially scheduled from 17 March to 3 April 2026, is now in question. According to sources close to the matter, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) will formally request a postponement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), citing an unmanageable congestion in the sporting calendar.

Also read: Women’s AFCON: end of the drama, Morocco keeps its tournament

The federation’s president, Fouzi Lekjaa, is expected to present the request to the executive committee of the continental body. Rabat believes that maintaining the current dates, in the middle of the season’s end, would undermine the national teams’ preparations and the quality of the spectacle, while Moroccan clubs are still competing on several African fronts and the domestic league must absolutely finish by mid-May to comply with FIFA directives.

Also read: Did Morocco abandon the 2026 Women’s AFCON?

For Morocco, this move is not related to organizational capacity, but rather represents a strategic choice aimed at protecting the tournament’s image. The objective is to find a less congested new window to ensure satisfactory attendance and deliver an edition « up to the standards » of African women’s football, without the event being overshadowed by the accumulation of matches.

If the CAF agrees to this last-minute request, it will have to identify a complex alternative time slot capable of reconciling FIFA’s requirements with the clubs’ schedules for this competition, which will take place entirely on Moroccan soil.