A continental title is not the only thing on the line at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which begins today (Sunday).The four countries who reach the semifinals of this competition will also earn automatic qualification to next year’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four beaten quarterfinalists going into a playoff bracket that offers its winners a shot at securing their ticket to the finals via a six-team inter-continental playoff being staged in late 2026 and early 2027.The added pressure makes the plethora of storylines at this tournament that much more enticing as things finally get started, after months of delay, in host nation Morocco.Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th.Morocco have yet to claim a title despite reaching the final in the past two editions of the tournament, both of which they also hosted. Will third time be the charm? Or will last year’s third-place finishers, Ghana, show just how much they have grown as a team?Malawi, equipped with the lethal attacking powers of the Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, are eyeing a strong WAFCON debut that could also lead them to their first World Cup appearance. Unfortunately for them, they face the attacking prowess of Zambia trio Barbra Banda, Racheal Kundananji and Prisca Chilufya in a difficult group alongside Nigeria and Egypt.A tournament that’s been postponed from its original March-April slot and also unexpectedly expanded to 16 teams from the usual 12 while the qualification competition was underway, this WAFCON is set to be the biggest yet — not only for the number of nations taking part but the brightness of the stars on show and magnitude of the stakes.Let’s take a closer look…Tournament format, host and groupsWAFCON is Africa’s most prestigious women’s football tournament, with this edition featuring 16 of the continent’s top teams. The biennial competition (its previous edition was put back from 2024 to last July) is organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the sport’s official governing body there.The 22-day tournament kicks off today (Sunday, July 26) and ends August 16.It begins with a group stage, followed by three single-elimination knockout rounds. There are four groups of four teams, who play each other in a round-robin format. The top two from each group advance to the quarterfinals. There are then semifinals, a third-place playoff and the final to decide Africa’s champions.