Strong start to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with 30 goals scored in a single day

30.07.26 13:00 Africa Women Cup of Nations

Senegal W

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Kenya W

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The kickoff for the 16 national teams participating in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco unleashed a flood of goals, with the net bulging 30 times in just 8 matches.

That’s a staggering scoring average of 3.75 goals per game. We’ve never witnessed such a high-octane goal rate at the start of any previous edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

No draws... only victories

One of the defining features of the first round was that there were no shared points. Every team played for the win, and every match saw at least two goals scored. Defenses struggled against relentless, fast, and highly effective attacking play—more so than ever before.

Banda ignites, Zambia dazzles

While two matches ended with close 2-0 results—Algeria over Senegal and Ghana over Cape Verde—or even South Africa’s narrow 2-1 win against Tanzania, it was Zambia’s clash with Egypt that stole the spotlight. Led by a super hat-trick from Barbra Banda, the “Copper Queens” dominated the “Cleopatras” with a resounding 6-0 victory. This emphatic result significantly boosted the scoring average.

The round also saw other big wins: Morocco cruised past Kenya with a clean 4-0 sweep, and Côte d’Ivoire delivered a commanding 4-1 triumph over Burkina Faso.

A new record on the horizon

With 30 goals scored on the opening day alone, the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is off to a flying start. For context, the previous edition saw only 66 goals in total. The expansion to 16 teams and the rising standard of women’s football across the continent explain this offensive explosion. If this tempo continues through rounds two and three, the tournament’s goal record could be shattered in no time.

Nafongo TRAORE |

News Editorfr, ar, en

Nafongon Moussa TRAORE, Burkinabè de 25 ans, est passionné de football, est rédacteur pour Foot Africa et commentateur pour BurkiFoot.

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Senegal W

Kenya W

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