2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations: Results and group A standings after the first round

Morocco and Algeria off to a flying start

Africa 27 July 2026 at 05:55

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2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations: Results and group A standings after the first round

26.07.26 FT Africa Women Cup of Nations

Morocco W

Kenya W

The first round of matches in Group A of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations wrapped up on Sunday evening, with Moroccan stadiums hosting dazzling football displays that thrilled the fans.

With convincing victories, both Morocco and Algeria made a powerful statement right from the start, taking a big step toward securing a place in the quarterfinals of the WAFCON.

Algeria kick off their campaign with a perfect win

In the opening match of the group, Algeria overcame Senegal with a 2-0 victory. Marine Daffour opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, before Melissa Betti doubled the lead in the 88th minute after a brilliant assist from Lina Boussaha. With this win, Algeria temporarily topped the group, before the hosts entered the fray in style.

𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗙É𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 : le classement du groupe A à l'issue de la 1ère journée !

1- Maroc 🇲🇦 : 3 points (+4)
2- Algérie 🇩🇿 : 3 points (+2)
3- Sénégal 🇸🇳 : 0 point (-2)
4- Kenya 🇰🇪 : 0 point (-4)#CANFéminine2026 #Classement #GroupeA #Carréfoot pic.twitter.com/vkLrSnBzfa
— Carréfoot (@Carre_foot) July 26, 2026

Morocco flex their muscles against Kenya in front of home crowd

The highly anticipated evening match took place at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Complex in Rabat. Backed by a massive home crowd, the Atlas Lionesses crushed Kenya 4-0, marking Kenya's first WAFCON appearance in a decade.

Thanks to goals from Sakina Ouzraoui in the 19th minute, Meryem Atiq in the 28th, and Ibtissam Jraidi in the 31st, Morocco went into halftime with a commanding 3-0 lead. The Atlas Lionesses kept up the pressure in the second half, with Ibtissam Jraidi adding her second and the team's fourth goal in the 49th minute. A perfect start for the two-time runners-up, who now top the group on goal difference.