Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon and Malawi have all secured qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semi-finals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), currently being held in Morocco.
Organisers had designated the tournament as a qualifying pathway for next summer's showpiece event, meaning any nation advancing to the last four automatically punched their ticket to Brazil.
Algeria were the standout story of the quarter-final round, coming from behind to beat a 10-player Ivory Coast side 2-1 and reach a Women's World Cup for the very first time. The Ivorians had taken the lead before having N'Sira Oudraogo dismissed, and Algeria capitalised through Ines Khiri and Amira Ould Braham to complete the turnaround.
Host nation Morocco booked their spot with a 2-1 win over South Africa, with Sakina Ouzraoui Diki and Hanane Ait El Haj both finding the net to send the Atlas Lionesses through.
Cameroon also progressed, defeating Nigeria 1-0 in a contest settled by a moment of individual brilliance. Nineteen-year-old Myriam Nyadjou struck a spectacular free-kick from around 30 yards out to give her side the decisive goal.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came from Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, who stunned Ghana with a 2-1 comeback victory. Trailing early on, Malawi responded through goals from Temwa Chawinga and Rose Kadzere to claim a historic qualification for the tournament.
Attention now turns to the Wafcon semi-finals, scheduled for Wednesday, where Morocco will face Cameroon and Algeria will take on Malawi for continental honours.
While four teams have already sealed their World Cup places, the door remains open for the sides eliminated in the quarter-finals. Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa can still reach Brazil via a longer route. Ghana and Ivory Coast meet on Thursday, as do Nigeria and South Africa, with the winners of those matches advancing into a 10-nation intercontinental play-off series set for November and December. Three additional spots at the World Cup will be decided through that process.
The qualification picture in Europe also remains unresolved, with England, the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all still in contention for a place in Brazil. Each of the five nations will need to navigate two separate two-legged play-off ties between October and December to advance.
In total, 32 teams will compete at the 2027 Women's World Cup, with 18 spots already confirmed following the latest round of results. Alongside Algeria, Cameroon, Malawi and Morocco from Africa, qualifiers already locked in include Australia, China, Japan, North Korea, the Philippines and South Korea from Asia; Denmark, France, Germany and Spain from Europe; New Zealand from Oceania; and Argentina, hosts Brazil, and Colombia from South America.
The tournament itself is scheduled to run from 24 June to 25 July 2027, with the remaining qualification spots expected to be finalised over the coming months across multiple confederations.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.