CAIRO, Nov 5: Four teams were added to an expanded Africa Cup of Nations in women’s football on Wednesday — after they were eliminated when qualifying games were completed last month.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the surprise decision for a 16-team tournament that gave a reprieve to Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Egypt.
Egypt, ranked No. 95 in the world, gets a second chance despite losing 7-0 on aggregate to Ghana over two legs in the final qualifying round.
CAF said it picked the four losers from the final qualifying round with the highest current FIFA ranking.
“The decision is in line with CAF’s strategic vision to strengthen the competitiveness and development of women’s football on the African continent,” the organization said in a statement.
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and Egypt also get another chance to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The four semifinalists at the March 17-April 3 WAFCON tournament hosted by Morocco will advance to the World Cup. Teams that lose in the quarterfinals can eventually qualify through playoffs involving nations from other continents.
CAF said its executive committee made the decision on how to allocate the four extra places. It was unclear why playoffs games were not organized.
The Cairo-based football body was asked for comment. (AP)
