Olamilekan Abayomi
Algeria have secured the bronze medal at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after defeating hosts Morocco 3–2 on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
The encounter, played in Rabat, saw Morocco take the lead in the 37th minute through Kautar Azraf, giving the hosts a 1–0 advantage going into the break.
Algeria continued to push for an equaliser after the restart and were eventually rewarded in the 83rd minute when Lina Boussaha found the back of the net to level the score.
Neither side could find a winning goal before the end of regulation time, sending the contest straight to a penalty shootout.
Morocco converted their opening two spot-kicks but struggled thereafter, missing their next three attempts. Algeria also missed two of their penalties but held their nerve to prevail 3–2.
Inès Belloumou converted the decisive penalty to secure Algeria’s victory and hand the North Africans their first-ever podium finish at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The result marked another disappointing penalty-shootout experience for Morocco, who had been eliminated by Cameroon in the semi-finals after also losing on penalties.
Morocco had finished as runners-up in the 2022 and 2024 editions of the competition, but their latest defeat means they finish fourth on home soil this year.
For Algeria, the bronze medal caps a historic campaign. Their run to the semi-finals had already secured the country’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the 2027 tournament scheduled to take place in Brazil.
The bronze-medal triumph therefore represents a significant milestone for Algerian women’s football as the team celebrates its best-ever finish at the continental championship.
