Morocco aim to end South Africa run in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final

Morocco will attempt to overturn a recent record against South Africa when the two sides meet in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 on Saturday evening.

The hosts face the Banyana Banyana at Stade Moulay El Hassan in Rabat, with the winners claiming the second semi-final place of the day. Algeria secured a historic qualification earlier in the evening, leaving Morocco and South Africa to fight for the remaining spot.

The match gives Morocco an opportunity to settle a sequence of painful defeats against their opponents. The Lionesses of Atlas lost 2-0 to South Africa in December 2025, in their most recent meeting. That result came three years after Morocco were beaten 2-1 by the same opponents in the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final, which was played on home soil.

Morocco will therefore be determined to break that pattern and keep alive their hopes of winning the tournament.

Jorge Vilda’s side reached the knockout stage as unbeaten group winners. They began the competition with a convincing 4-0 victory over Kenya before edging past Algeria 1-0. Their final group match ended in a goalless draw with Senegal, leaving them at the top of their section without defeat.

South Africa’s progress has been less straightforward, although their performances have improved during the tournament. The reigning champions suffered a surprise 2-1 loss to Kenya in their opening game.

They then recovered to draw 2-2 with Cote d’Ivoire after falling two goals behind. Their place in the quarter-finals was confirmed after a 1-0 victory against Burkina Faso on the final matchday, although that match was accompanied by controversy over the refereeing.

Morocco have made one change to the starting XI used in their previous match. Fatima Tagnaout comes into the team in place of Ibtissam Jraidi, while Ghizlane Chebbak starts for the second consecutive game.

The home side will hope their strong group-stage campaign, combined with the advantage of playing in Rabat, can help them overcome South Africa and reach the last four. However, their opponents arrive with the psychological benefit of having won the two teams’ previous meetings, including the 2022 final and the 2-0 victory in December.

Live coverage and text commentary of the quarter-final are available on Afrik-Foot.

This report is by Prudence Ahanogbe, a football writer who describes her approach as a combination of dedication, a passion for writing and intensive work.