TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations: Milestones in the competition’s history

With exactly 27 days to go until the kick-off of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 (26 July – 16 August), CAFOnline looks back at some of the defining milestones, landmark moments and key statistics that have shaped Africa’s premier women’s football competition.

Key Milestones

• 1998: The competition officially adopts a group stage format, expanding to eight participating nations.
• 2000–2006: Nigeria establishes its dominance on the continent by winning five consecutive continental titles.
• 2008: Equatorial Guinea makes history by becoming the first nation other than Nigeria to lift the trophy, ending the Super Falcons' reign.
• 2019: The CAF Executive Committee approves the expansion of the tournament from eight to 12 participating teams.
• 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic forces the cancellation of the competition.
• 2024 (played in 2025): Hosted by Morocco, the 13th edition enjoys unprecedented global media success, with matches broadcast in more than 120 countries worldwide.
• 2024: On the pitch, Nigeria further cements its legacy by coming from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final and claim a record-extending 10th continental crown.
• 2026: A landmark edition as the competition officially expands to 16 participating nations for the first time.

Key Statistics

• 14: The TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 will be the 14th edition of Africa's flagship women's football competition since its official launch in 1998.
• Ever-Present: Nigeria and South Africa remain the only two nations to have qualified for every edition of the tournament.
• Nigeria's Dominance: The Super Falcons lead the all-time honours list with 10 titles, ahead of Equatorial Guinea (2) and South Africa (1).
• A Famous Comeback: Nigeria secured their record-extending 10th title by overturning a 2-0 deficit to defeat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the 2024 final.
• Africa's Most Successful National Team: No African national side - men's or women's, has won more continental titles than Nigeria's women's team.
• Trailblazers: Nigeria lifted the inaugural title in 1998 before winning the competition's first five editions.
• An Exclusive Club: Only three nations have ever won the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations: Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
• Double Continental Champions: Nigeria and South Africa are the only African nations to have won both the men's and women's Africa Cup of Nations.
• A Historic Hat-trick of Hosting: Morocco will become the first nation to host the tournament for a third consecutive edition in 2026.
• Final Heartbreak: Morocco heads into 2026 after suffering back-to-back defeats in home finals, losing to South Africa in 2022 and Nigeria in 2024.
• Perfect Record: Nigeria boasts a remarkable record in finals, winning all 10 of the matches they have contested.
• South Africa's Breakthrough: After losing four consecutive finals, Banyana Banyana finally claimed their maiden continental title on Moroccan soil in 2022.
• Runners-up Record: South Africa has finished as runners-up four times, more than any other nation, ahead of Ghana and Cameroon with three each.
• Podium Regulars: Nigeria has finished among the tournament's top three on 11 occasions - a competition record, while South Africa and Ghana have each recorded seven podium finishes.
• Biggest Final Victory: Nigeria's 5-0 victory over Cameroon in the 2004 final remains the largest winning margin in a Women's AFCON final.
• The Only Goalless Final: The 2018 final between Nigeria and South Africa remains the only final to finish 0-0 before being decided by penalties.
• Cape Verde's Historic Debut: Cape Verde will make its first-ever appearance at the finals in 2026, becoming the 28th nation to participate in the competition.
• Island Achievement: Cape Verde becomes only the second island nation to qualify for the finals after Réunion in 2000.
• COSAFA Representation: Malawi becomes the eighth COSAFA member nation to qualify for the tournament
• WAFU Milestone: Cape Verde is the 10th member association from the West African Football Union (WAFU) to reach the finals.
• Leaders in every Category: No nation has played more matches or recorded more victories in the history of the competition than Nigeria's Super Falcons.

Key Facts

Nigeria's Goalscoring Dominance: Nigerian players have finished as the tournament's top scorer on nine occasions. However in 2022, Rasheedat Ajibade shared the Golden Boot with Morocco's Ghizlane Chebbak and South Africa's Hildah Magaia after each scored three goals.

An Enduring Legend: Former Super Falcons striker Perpetua Nkwocha remains the competition's all-time leading scorer with 24 goals.

Remarkable Consistency: Nkwocha also holds the record for scoring in the highest number of different Women's AFCON matches, finding the net in 20 separate games.

Single-Tournament Record: No player has surpassed the 11 goals scored by Perpetua Nkwocha during the 2010 edition.

Four-Time Golden Boot Winner: Nkwocha claimed the tournament's Golden Boot on four occasions (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2010).

Among the Greatest Goalscoring Campaigns: Some of the most prolific individual performances in Women's AFCON history belong to Nkwocha, who scored 11 goals in 2010, nine in 2004 and seven in 2006. Fellow Nigerian Mercy Akide also netted seven goals during the 2000 edition.

Nigeria's Record Attack: Nigeria scored 28 goals during the inaugural tournament in 1998—the highest tally by any team in a single edition.

Strength in Depth: At the most recent edition, Nigeria scored 14 goals, with 11 different players getting on the scoresheet.

The First Hat-trick: South Africa's Veronica Phewa became the first player to score a Women's AFCON hat-trick, achieving the feat in a 3-1 group-stage victory over Zimbabwe in 2001.

The Four-Goal Club: Only two players have scored four goals in a Women's AFCON finals match: Nigeria's Perpetua Nkwocha against Cameroon in 2004 and Asisat Oshoala against Mali in 2016.

Longest Unbeaten Runs

Nigeria's Unbeaten Sequence: Nigeria holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in Women's AFCON history, going 16 consecutive matches without defeat between 2002 and 2008 (13 wins, three draws). *

Unbeaten but not champions: South Africa completed the 2018 tournament without losing a match in regulation time, only to be beaten by Nigeria on penalties in the final.

Most Decorated Players

The following players share the record for the most Women's AFCON titles, with five continental crowns each:

• Florence Ajayi (Nigeria): 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006
• Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria): 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014
• Osinachi Ohale (Nigeria): 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024
• Francisca Ordega (Nigeria): 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2024
• Goalscoring Trends: The Last Five Editions