Algeria claimed the bronze medal at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, beating the host nation in a tense penalty shootout on Saturday, August 15, at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. After a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation time, Algeria won 4-3 in the shootout, securing the best result in their history in the competition, having never previously gone past the quarterfinals.
For much of the match, the script seemed to favor the Atlas Lionesses. Kautar Azraf, an 18 year old forward playing for Barcelona’s reserve team, opened the scoring in the 37th minute after a well placed through ball from Hanane Ait El Haj. The goal reflected a match largely dominated by the Moroccan side, cheered on by their home crowd.
But Algeria, showing real mental toughness, equalized in the 83rd minute through Lina Boussaha, who finished off a swift counterattack. That goal reshuffled the deck and set up a breathless finish. Tension peaked in stoppage time, when Morocco won a penalty in the 90th plus fourth minute, a golden chance to retake the lead before the final whistle. Benzina stepped up but struck the post, denying Morocco a win that had seemed within reach.
The match went to a shootout, where Algeria showed the steadier nerve, winning 4-3 to claim an unprecedented third place finish, sixteen years after their previous best run to the quarterfinals.
For Morocco, the defeat stings. Eliminated in the semifinal by Cameroon on penalties after a goalless draw, the Atlas Lionesses, led by Spanish coach Jorge Vilda, had hoped to at least finish their home tournament on the podium. They will instead settle for fourth place, a year after already suffering the disappointment of a final defeat to Nigeria in the previous edition of the tournament.
The final of this fifteenth edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will pit Malawi, who stunned Algeria in the semifinal, against Cameroon, who eliminated Morocco in the previous round, on Sunday at the same Moulay El Hassan Stadium. It promises to be a clash between two nations also writing a new chapter in their continental football history.
