Prior to Caf’s announcement, the BBC spoke to former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, who voiced profound disappointment at the recurring setbacks for women’s football on the continent.
“I’m very much worried and I would say I’m disappointed because this keeps happening with women’s football,” she told BBC Sport Africa.
“During Covid the Wafcon was postponed [but] the men went on to play the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.”
“I think it’s because it’s women’s football, people really don’t give that much importance to it,” she said.
Morocco successfully hosted Wafcon in 2022 and the delayed 2024 edition held in 2025, which saw record attendance figures and strong television audiences across Africa.
“It’s disappointing that we’re depending so much on Morocco,” says Oparanozie, who won Wafcon four times with Nigeria.
“Caf should start looking for possible countries that will actually come up to take the spot if Morocco were to pull out.”
Oparanozie said the postponement could have a physical and mental impact on players, who were already preparing for the tournament.
Teams like Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana had continued their preparations with high-profile friendlies, with the Black Queens of Ghana on a training tour in the United Arab Emirates.
“They [players] will be very worried considering the amount of work they’ve put in so far physically and mentally.”
“They’ve put their lives on hold just to focus for this tournament and prolonged uncertainty could demoralise some,” she said.
The escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has caused airspace closures and flight cancellations, had further raised concerns about the tournament, with the Ghanaian team needing assurances and support from the country’s foreign mission.
“We are currently safe, our mission is in touch with us and working on ensuring our safety and we shall leave as soon as possible, when our flight gets scheduled,” the team’s media officer, Matilda Dzifo Dimedo, told BBC Sport Africa.
“But for the meantime as we wait for the schedule, we will train and play the last match in a safe space,” she added.
