Women's AFCON 2026: Who will Algeria and Morocco face in the quarter-finals?

03.08.26 FT Africa Women Cup of Nations

Kenya W

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Algeria W

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Morocco and Algeria have secured their places in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations after the third matchday of Group A, which took place Monday night in Morocco.

Held to a draw by Senegal (0-0) at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, the Atlas Lionesses retained the top spot in Group A with 7 points, after their opening two victories over Kenya (4-0) and Algeria (1-0).

Meanwhile, the Algerian squad delivered a composed win against Kenya (2-0), with goals from Marine Defeur (14’) and Lynda Bendris (23’), sealing their ticket to the knockout stage. They finish second in Group A with 6 points, ahead of Senegal (4 pts) and Kenya (0 pts).

Total suspense in Group B

In the quarter-finals, Morocco will take on the runner-up from Group B, while Algeria will challenge the leader of that group. After the second matchday, Ivory Coast tops the standings with 4 points, followed by Burkina Faso (3 pts), Tanzania (3 pts), and South Africa (1 pt).

The final verdict for this second group will be delivered tonight after the last two matches on Matchday 3: Burkina Faso vs South Africa and Tanzania vs Ivory Coast.

Even though football is never an exact science, the Elephants seem well positioned to top the group and face Algeria. To avoid the host nation, Reynald Pedros’ squad must defeat Tanzania.

In this scenario, the winner between Burkina Faso and South Africa will face Morocco in the quarter-finals. A draw would send the Stallion Ladies into the next round.

The best performances of Algeria and Morocco at the Women’s AFCON

For their fifth appearance at the Women’s AFCON, Morocco once again reaches the quarter-finals. Runners-up in the last two editions in 2022 and 2024, the Atlas Lionesses are aiming to carve out a path to the final once more—hoping that the third time’s the charm.

As for Algeria, this will be their second quarter-final after 2024, when they were eliminated by Ghana on penalties (0-0, 2-4 on pens). The Algerian side is targeting a historic first-ever semi-final qualification.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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