Womens Africa Cup of Nations 2026: Hosts Morocco among quartet making perfect starts after opening round

Morocco, Ivory Coast, Zambia and Ghana all made winning starts to take early control of their groups as the opening round of Womens Africa Cup of Nations 2026 fixtures concluded on Wednesday.

The hosts top Group A after a commanding 4-0 victory over Kenya, while Algeria sit second having beaten Senegal 2-0. Senegal and Kenya are bottom of the group with no points following their defeats.

In Group B, Ivory Coast lead the way thanks to a 4-1 win against Burkina Faso. Tanzania are level on points with the Ivorians after edging South Africa 2-1. South Africa and Burkina Faso, both beaten on the opening day, will need an immediate response in the second round of matches to revive their campaigns.

Big wins set early tone

Zambia produced the most emphatic result of the first round in Group C, sweeping aside Egypt 6-0 to take top spot. Mali are just behind them after a 3-2 victory over Nigeria in a high-scoring encounter. Nigeria and Egypt sit third and fourth respectively, each yet to collect a point.

In Group D, Ghana opened their tournament with a 2-0 success against Cape Verde to move straight to the top of the standings. Cameroon are second in the section after a 2-1 win over Mali. Both Mali and Cape Verde remain on zero points ahead of their second group fixtures.

Group standings after matchday one

After the completion of the first round of games, the tables are as follows:

Group A 1. Morocco – 3 pts 2. Algeria – 3 pts 3. Senegal – 0 pts 4. Kenya – 0 pts

Group B 1. Ivory Coast – 3 pts 2. Tanzania – 3 pts 3. South Africa – 0 pts 4. Burkina Faso – 0 pts

Group C 1. Zambia – 3 pts 2. Mali – 3 pts 3. Nigeria – 0 pts 4. Egypt – 0 pts

Group D 1. Ghana – 3 pts 2. Cameroon – 3 pts 3. Mali – 0 pts 4. Cape Verde – 0 pts

The results leave all four groups finely poised, with the leading sides aiming to build on their strong starts and the teams yet to register a point under immediate pressure to respond on matchday two.