2026 Women's AFCON: Morocco-South Africa and Ivory Coast-Algeria open the quarter-finals

Côte d'Ivoire-Algeria (5pm GMT, Stade Moulay Rachid, Casablanca)

The first quarterfinal of the day, this clash is also a great first: the Ivorians and Algerians have never faced each other before in the history of the tournament.

Algeria finished second in Group A, behind Morocco. The Greens started by dominating Senegal (2-0), then lost 0-1 to Morocco, before beating Kenya (2-0) on the final day. Marine Dafeur leads the Algerian attack with two goals scored.

Côte d'Ivoire, meanwhile, soared through Group B without losing a single match: a big win against Burkina Faso (4-1), a spectacular draw against South Africa (2-2), then a win over Tanzania. Under the leadership of Reynald Pedros, the Elephants present a collective and prolific front, with five different scorers including Inès Konan (3 goals) and Grace-Ruth Sery (2 goals). Nsira Ouedraogo, scorer against Tanzania, also stood out on the last day of the group stage.

Historic Stakes

Qualification would be totally unprecedented for Algeria, who have never reached the last four of the competition (Farid Benstiti's players stopped at the quarters last year). For Côte d'Ivoire, a win would open the door to their second semi-final in history, the previous one dating back to 2014, at a time when the format featured eight teams compared to sixteen today.

Morocco-South Africa (8pm GMT, Stade Moulay El Hassan, Rabat)

The second quarterfinal of the day, this meeting has a sense of revenge: it is an exact replay of the 2022 edition final, when South Africa deprived Morocco, the host nation, of its first continental crown (2-1 win for the South Africans, with a brace from Hildah Magaia countered too late by a goal from Rosella Ayane).

Morocco, unwavering solidity

Under Jorge Vilda’s direction, the Atlas Lionesses completed a group stage without conceding a single goal, a first in the country's history at the Women's AFCON. Morocco has won its two previous quarterfinals (2022 and 2024) and remains unbeaten in knockout matches before the final. Star goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi has already recorded three clean sheets in this edition.

South Africa, experience at the big events

Champions in 2022, the Banyana Banyana are aiming for a twelfth semi-final, their tenth in a row. Under Desiree Ellis since 2016, South Africa has never missed the semi-finals. After a slow start to the tournament (no wins in the first two group games), the team bounced back thanks to Thembi Kgatlana, a decisive scorer against Burkina Faso and already with two goals in this edition.

Two matchups to watch live this Saturday, with each of the four competing nations sharing a common goal: to reach the semi-finals and, soon after, secure a spot at the Women's World Cup Brazil 2027.