Head coach of South Africa women’s national football team, Desiree Ellis, has expressed concern over the uncertainty that surrounded the scheduling of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, after the Confederation of African Football confirmed a change in the tournament dates.
Originally, CAF granted Morocco the hosting rights for the 2026 edition of the competition in October 2024, with the tournament initially scheduled to take place between 17 March and 3 April 2026.
Read Also: Ikpefan Says Nigeria Can Develop More Winter Sports Athletes | Sports247 Nigeria
However, after consultations with FIFA and other stakeholders, CAF announced that the competition would be rescheduled to run from 25 July to 16 August 2026.
The continental football body explained that the decision was taken to ensure the successful organisation of the tournament in light of certain unforeseen circumstances.
“Everyone was in the dark for a while regarding the situation,” Ellis said.
The South African coach admitted that the uncertainty created difficulties for teams preparing for the competition, particularly for players who had been training without clarity about when the tournament would eventually take place.
“Players have just been training and waiting for further clarification,” she explained.
Ellis also pointed out that the competition falls outside the official FIFA international window, meaning players often have to wait until final squad announcements before knowing their availability for national team duty.
“Having players wait until the final squad list is announced is unfair on them,” she added.
Despite the earlier uncertainty, CAF has now confirmed that preparations for the tournament are ongoing, with organisers confident the competition will be a success when it eventually kicks off.
“Preparations are underway and everyone hopes the tournament will be successful,” Ellis noted.
Ellis concluded by stating that her team will remain focused on preparations as they look to defend their continental status when the tournament begins in Morocco later in the year.
“All we can do is keep preparing and be ready when the tournament begins,” she said.
