Wafcon expansion offers 'great exposure' - Chawinga

Nigeria won this year's Wafcon, the second to feature 12 teams. Between 1998 and 2018 only eight nations took part in the tournament

The decision to expand the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) has handed a "great boost" to teams that have never qualified for the finals, according to Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga.

Earlier this month the Confederation of African Football (Caf) decided to expand the tournament from 12 to 16 teams, starting from next year's edition in Morocco.

"It means more opportunities and great exposure to both older and upcoming players," 29-year-old forward Chawinga, who plays for Lyon and counts Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan among her former clubs, told BBC Sport Africa.

"It is a continental platform to bring football dreams alive. I fully intend to captain the Malawi side to claim a spot in the Wafcon competition."

The Scorchers are bidding to reach their first ever Wafcon, and drew 0-0 away against Angola in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie on Thursday.

The aggregate winners of the 11 second-round match-ups will advance to the 2026 finals in Morocco, but the qualifying draw was made before Caf's decision to increase the number of teams at the tournament.

The continental governing body is yet to announce how the extra four spots will be filled - with the 11 losing sides in the second round all previously due to be eliminated.

The Gambia wait for opportunity

Sainey Mboge is a former youth international for The Gambia who has moved into football administration, and is the founder of a girls' academy in her hometown of Abuko

Like Malawi, The Gambia have never qualified for Wafcon.

Sainey Mboge, a former youth international who played for the West Africans at the Under-17 World Cup in 2012, highlighted the long-standing challenge where only a few countries consistently featured at what was an eight-team tournament between 1998 and 2018.

She says The Gambia previously failed because their chances were "slim" against continental powerhouses such as Nigeria and Cameroon.

The Gambia lost 7-0 on aggregate against record 10-time continental champions Nigeria in qualifying for the 2018 finals, and in preliminaries for the 2022 edition they were beaten 10-1 over two legs by Cameroon as they suffered their biggest ever defeat - an 8-0 thrashing by the Indomitable Lionesses in Yaounde.

"The level is not the same," Mboge told BBC Sport Africa.

"If the dominant team is there [in qualifying], [it] will take so long to get that opportunity."

The Gambia play Kenya in the second round of qualifiers this time around and the expansion has given Mboge hope her country will appear at Wafcon for the first time.

"We have a very good team because some players have had an opportunity to play outside Gambia.

"We can rely on [them, and] say we have the chance to qualify."

Increased exposure and resources

Kenya are bidding for just a second appearance at Wafcon after upsetting Tunisia 1-0 on aggregate in the first round of qualifying for next year's tournament

Kerubo Momanyi, an executive member at Football Kenya Federation, is similarly excited at the additional benefits expansion brings for teams and the message it sends about women's football on the continent.

"[It] comes at a time when we are trying to show women that their sport is taken just as seriously as men's," she told BBC Sport Africa.

"The expanded format will lead to more exposure, more participation and more resources circling down to the participating teams."

Kenya's only previous Wafcon appearance was in 2016 in Cameroon, where they exited at the group stage without a point.

Momanyi now sees the potential of a "higher chance of qualification" from their tie against The Gambia.

"After this round of qualification we will have the third and final round where the loser (from the second round) will be able to participate for a chance to get into the final four," she added.

While the expansion is being celebrated, Mboge also sounded a note of caution, pointing out the need to maintain high standards at the finals.

"We hope it'll be expanded with quality because, to maintain quality performance, it is important for that to happen," said the Gambian.

"You cannot be bringing teams that will be beaten 10-0, 11-0.

"Wafcon is really important for women's football in Africa to grow. It will really boost participation. This is a really great opportunity."

In August, Caf president Patrice Motsepe expressed satisfaction with the progress in African women's football.

"I can assure you women's football will continue to improve because that is an area we are focussing on a lot," he said.

Wafcon 2026 qualifying: second round first leg results and fixtures

• Namibia 2-4 Zambia

• Tanzania 2-0 Ethiopia

• DR Congo 1-1 South Africa

• Angola 0-0 Malawi

• Egypt 0-3 Ghana

• Algeria 2-1 Cameroon

• Burkina Faso v Togo (Friday)

• Benin v Nigeria (Friday)

• Kenya v The Gambia (Friday)

• Cape Verde v Mali (Friday)

• Senegal v Ivory Coast (Friday)

Second legs to be played from Sunday to Tuesday