The qualification phases were made up of 6 sub-confederation qualifying tournaments which commenced on 24 July 2021 within UNAF for North Africa and the first half-zone of WAFU or WAFU's Zone A for West Africa. On 10 September 2021, qualification ended with the participating teams reduced to the final 8 which were made up of one winning team each from the 6 CAF sub-confederations (WAFU is split into two zones), the host nation's league-winning team and, for this edition only, an additional team from the sub-confederation of the incumbent Africa Women's Cup of Nations champions. These 8 teams would proceed to the main tournament, which was held across two stadiums in Cairo, Egypt, from 5 to 19 November 2021.[2]
All participating teams qualified for the qualification phase via winning their respective national league titles and have their club licensing applications accepted by CAF.
Qualified teams for the 2021 CAF Women's Champions League qualification phase
Each of CAF's sub-confederations held a qualifying tournament, starting with UNAF for North Africa and WAFU's Zone A for West Africa. A single winner of each sub-confederation qualification tournament would advance to the final tournament where they would be joined by the host nation's league champions and another team from the sub-confederation of the incumbent Africa Women's Cup of Nations champions.[3]
The draw for the qualification tournament for COSAFA teams (branded as the COSAFA Women’s Champions League) was held on July 29, 2021. The seven teams were divided into two groups of four with the top two in each group advancing to the semi-finals. The tournament was held in South Africa from 26 to 31 August 2021.