Less than two weeks before kickoff, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced plans to postpone this month's Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals, citing "unforeseen circumstances."

Originally scheduled to start in Morocco on Tuesday, March 17th, and run through Friday, April 3rd, the 2026 WAFCON competition functions as a 2027 World Cup qualifying event for African national teams.

"Preparations for the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON 2026 are underway and all the parties are confident that it will be very successful," CAF said in a statement on Thursday.

CAF's tournament finals will now run from Saturday, July 25th, to Sunday, August 16th — a shift that could pose challenges for NWSL clubs who will likely miss major players for a full month in the middle of the league's 2026 season.

NWSL stars like back-to-back reigning MVP Temwa Chawinga (Kansas City Current, Malawi), 2024 MVP finalist Barbra Banda (Orlando Pride, Zambia), and reigning WAFCON champion Michelle Alozie (Chicago Stars, Nigeria) are all probable call-ups to their national team rosters for the continental competition — among others.

Between the WAFCON scheduling shift and the US league's previously set month-long June pause for the 2026 Men's World Cup, NWSL fans are now unlikely to see some of the league's top athletes for much of the summer.

The 2025 CAF African Women's Player of the Year nominations dropped last week, with a trio of NWSL stars — including 2024 award winner Barbra Banda of Zambia — topping this year's shortlist.

Calling the nomination "an honour and a privilege," Banda posted about the nod on social media, saying that "To be in the same category with all these amazing talents is truly a humbling feeling."

Joining the Orlando Pride striker in excelling for both club and country in 2025 are two other NWSL standout goalscorers: Kansas City Current star and 2024 NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga (Malawi) and Bay FC's Rachael Kundananji (Zambia).

Rounding out the 10-player lineup is Chawinga's older sister Tabitha (OL Lyonnes/Malawi), Esther Okoronkwo (AFC Toronto/Nigeria), Rasheedat Ajibade (PSG/Nigeria), Ghizlane Chebbak (Al Hilal/Morocco), Sanaâ Mssoudy (AS FAR/Morocco), Portia Boakye (Hapoel Petah Tikva/Ghana), and Mama Diop (RC Strasbourg/Senegal).

Based on performances between January 6th and October 15th of this year, the expert panel displayed a more than significant lean toward attacking prowess in their selections, ultimately choosing a roster of all forwards for the 2025 CAF Player of the Year shortlist.

While the exact date is forthcoming, the CAF will announce its award-winners at a ceremony later this year.