Women’s AFCON 2026: Morocco reach semi-finals and secure World Cup place

Morocco booked a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the third successive tournament after beating South Africa 2-1 in Rabat, with Banyana Banyana manager Desiree Ellis believing her side ran out of time in their attempt to rescue the quarter-final.

The decisive match was played on Saturday evening at Stade Moulay El Hassan, where the hosts secured another victory over South Africa to continue their pursuit of a third consecutive final appearance.

The result also confirmed Morocco’s qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. South Africa, meanwhile, must now go through the play-offs if they are to reach the global tournament.

Morocco established a commanding position early in the second half. Hanane Ait El Haj converted a penalty in the 51st minute to put the hosts 2-0 ahead and leave South Africa facing the prospect of elimination.

The Banyana Banyana responded through Thembi Kgatlana, who reduced the deficit in the 67th minute. However, despite their late pressure, South Africa could not find the equaliser needed to take the tie further.

Speaking at the post-match news conference, Ellis said her players had been denied the opportunity to complete another comeback because they did not have enough time. She also congratulated Morocco on reaching the last four.

South Africa had already demonstrated their ability to recover from a difficult position earlier in the tournament. On 31 July, they came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Cote d’Ivoire.

But they were unable to repeat that performance against Morocco, having also shown signs of vulnerability during the group stage. Their progress to the knockout phase had been unconvincing, with qualification secured only on the final day after a narrow 0-1 victory over Burkina Faso.

The defeat means the Banyana Banyana have missed out on direct qualification for the Women’s World Cup. They will instead begin the play-off route against the loser of Thursday’s match between Cameroon and Nigeria.

Morocco will now turn their attention to reaching the final for a third time in a row. They were runners-up in 2022 and 2024, and their latest victory keeps alive their hopes of going one step further on home soil.

For South Africa, the immediate focus is on recovering from the quarter-final disappointment and navigating the play-offs. Their defeat ended their campaign in the knockout stage, but a route to next year’s World Cup remains open.

The hosts’ victory, meanwhile, delivered two major rewards: a place in the Women’s AFCON semi-finals and qualification for the next World Cup.