Morocco and Algeria renew rivalry with Women’s Africa Cup of Nations bronze at stake

Morocco and Algeria will meet for the third-place play-off at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 on Saturday, with the bronze medal at stake in a repeat of their group-stage meeting earlier in the tournament.

The match will take place at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, with kick-off scheduled for 19:00 French time and 18:00 local time in both Morocco and Algeria.

Viewers in France can watch the game on beIN SPORTS MAX 7, while beIN SPORTS MENA 6 will show it in Morocco and Algeria. Arryadia will also provide exclusive coverage in Morocco.

The two sides faced each other in the second round of the group stage, when Morocco claimed a narrow victory. Sanaa Mssoudy scored the decisive goal in the 84th minute to settle a closely contested encounter.

Saturday’s fixture will be the third meeting between the national teams in the past six years. Their previous meeting before this tournament came in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition in February 2020, when Morocco won 2-0. That tournament was later cancelled because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Morocco arrive at the play-off after losing to Cameroon in the semi-finals. After a goalless 90 minutes, Cameroon prevailed 3-1 on penalties.

Algeria were beaten by Malawi in their semi-final, losing 3-1 and missing out on the chance to reach the final.

The Algerian side will be without Morgane Belkhiter, who is suspended after being sent off in a decision judged to have been severe. She is expected to be replaced by the versatile Lana Smits.

The meeting in Rabat therefore gives both teams an opportunity to finish the competition with a win after semi-final disappointment. Morocco will also be seeking to maintain their recent advantage over their regional rivals, having already defeated Algeria during the group stage and in the 2020 qualifying tie.

For Algeria, the match represents a chance to respond to those earlier setbacks and claim third place. For Morocco, it is an opportunity to end the tournament with another victory over their closest opponents on home territory.

The game will be played two weeks after the teams first met in this campaign, adding another chapter to a rivalry that has produced three meetings since February 2020. While neither side can now reach the final, the play-off will determine which team finishes third at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026.

The fixture is scheduled to begin at 18:00 in Morocco and Algeria, with French viewers able to watch from 19:00. Coverage will be available through beIN SPORTS MAX 7 in France, beIN SPORTS MENA 6 in Morocco and Algeria, and Arryadia in Morocco.