The draw for the qualifiers of the 2022 Total Women's Africa Cup of Nations took place on Monday, April 10, 2021 in Cairo behind closed doors due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. The draw was broadcast on CAF's digital platforms.
As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the tournament was postponed to 2021 and subsequently cancelled. Morocco will host the next edition in 2022.
A record 45 member associations have entered the qualifiers which will be played over two rounds. Morocco gains automatic qualification as the host. Eleven teams will join Morocco at the final tournament, which will be the first edition to have 12 teams.
A new format based on regions was adopted over the usual format of seeded and unseeded teams based on the FIFA rankings.
Picture credit: cafonline.com
Here is the full schedule (results will be updated when they become available):
First Round (18 - 26 October 2021)
M1 – Uganda v Ethiopia
M2 – Kenya v South Sudan
M3 – Eritrea v Burundi
M4 – Djibouti v Rwanda
M5 – Malawi v Zambia
M6 – Tanzania v Namibia
M7 – Zimbabwe v Eswatini
M8 – Angola v Botswana
M9 – Mozambique v South Africa
M10 – Algeria v Sudan
M11 - Egypt v Tunisia
M12 – Equatorial Guinea v DR Congo
M13 – Sao Tome and Principe v Togo
M14 – Congo v Gabon
M15 – Central African Republic v Cameroon
M16 – Sierra Leone v Gambia
M17 – Liberia v Senegal
M18 – Mali v Guinea
M19 – Guinea Bissau v Mauritania
M20 – Burkina Faso v Benin
M21 – Nigeria v Ghana
M22 – Niger v Cote d’Ivoire
Second Round (14 - 23 February 2022)
Winner M1 v Winner M2
Winner M3 v Winner M4
Winner M5 v Winner M6
Winner M7 v Winner M8
Winner M9 v Winner M10
Winner M11 v Winner M12
Winner M13 v Winner M14
Winner M15 v Winner M16
Winner M17 v Winner M18
Winner M19 v Winner M20
Winner M21 v Winner M22
Note: The qualifiers were originally scheduled to take place in June and October this year but were postponed to the current dates as a result of poor condition of certain stadiums and covid-19-related restrictions.
Quick facts about the Total Women's Africa Cup of Nations
Number of editions: 11 (there were two unofficial editions in 1991 and 1995 which were won by Nigeria)
First edition: 1998
Current champions: Nigeria
Most titles: Nigeria (9)
Other winners: Equatorial Guinea (2008, 2012)
Previous hosts: Nigeria (1998, 2002, 2006); South Africa (2000, 2004, 2010); Equatorial Guinea (2008, 2012); Namibia (2014); Cameroon (2016); Ghana (2018)