Algeria Make History With WAFCON Bronze After Beating Hosts Morocco

Algeria secured a historic bronze medal at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after defeating hosts Morocco 3-2 on penalties in a dramatic third-place playoff on Saturday.

The encounter ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Algeria ultimately holding their nerve in the shootout to claim their highest-ever finish in the history of the competition.

Morocco started brightly in front of a passionate home crowd and controlled much of the opening exchanges. The hosts came close to breaking the deadlock in the 17th minute when Ibtissam Jraidi’s effort struck the crossbar.

Morocco eventually found the breakthrough when Kautar Azraf produced a moment of individual brilliance, beating her marker before curling a left-footed effort into the far corner to put the Atlas Lionesses 1-0 ahead before the interval.

Algeria responded with greater urgency after the restart and began to put sustained pressure on the Moroccan defence.

Captain Marine Dafeur and Lina Boussaha both came close to finding an equaliser before Algeria finally got their reward in the 83rd minute.

Melissa Bethi picked out Boussaha with a well-weighted through ball, and the forward kept her composure to fire past the Moroccan goalkeeper and restore parity.

The drama intensified in stoppage time when Morocco were awarded a penalty in the 97th minute, giving the hosts a chance to win the match without the need for a shootout.

However, Nouhaila Benzina failed to convert from the spot, sending the contest to penalties.

Algeria then prevailed 3-2 in the shootout to complete a remarkable campaign and secure a place on the WAFCON podium for the first time.