Algeria and Morocco handed Women’s Africa Cup bronze-medal rematch

Algeria and Morocco will meet again at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 after both sides suffered surprise semi-final defeats in Morocco.

The North African rivals will contest the third-place play-off next Saturday, just days after their first meeting of the tournament. Morocco won that group-stage encounter 1-0, with Sanaa Mssoudy scoring a late winner in the 84th minute.

Both teams had been regarded as favourites on paper, but neither will now feature in the final after a dramatic Wednesday in the competition.

Algeria were the first of the two sides to exit the tournament, losing 3-1 to Malawi in the opening semi-final. The result secured Malawi a place in the final for the first time in the country’s history.

Malawi’s run has been one of the major stories of the competition, with the side overcoming Algeria to reach the showpiece match at its first appearance in the final tournament.

Morocco’s hopes of completing a home triumph then ended later in the day, when Cameroon eliminated the host nation after a goalless match. Cameroon prevailed 3-1 in the penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Michaely Bihina playing a decisive role for the victorious side.

The outcome means Algeria and Morocco will face each other for a second time during the same campaign. Their previous encounter came in the second round of the group stage, when Morocco claimed all three points through Mssoudy’s late strike.

That 1-0 result remains the only meeting between the teams in the tournament so far, but the two sides will now have another opportunity to settle the contest when they play for third place.

For Algeria, the play-off represents a chance to respond after a heavy semi-final defeat by a Malawi team that has reached the final beyond its first appearance at this stage. Morocco, meanwhile, will have to recover from the disappointment of losing at home after Cameroon held them scoreless before winning on penalties.

The two selections had entered the semi-finals as the leading contenders on paper, but Wednesday’s results produced a final pairing neither could reach. Malawi’s victory over Algeria and Cameroon’s shootout success against Morocco have instead set up a new meeting between the North African neighbours.

The third-place match next Saturday will therefore provide a second chapter to the Algeria-Morocco rivalry at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026, with both teams seeking to finish the tournament on a positive note after falling short in the semi-finals.