Morocco and Algeria played out a 1:1 draw in the third-place final of the African Cup of Nations for women on 15 August 2026. The match ended in a penalty shootout, which Morocco won to claim the spot. Both sides had pushed through the tournament and reached this stage, aware that the result would shift something in the table.
Kautar Azraf opened the scoring for Morocco in the 37th minute, and the hosts picked up momentum after that. Yellow cards followed for Hanane Aït El Haj and Mélissa Bethi before the break, and by then the game had tightened. Lynda Bendris came on for Algeria at the start of the second half, and Ikram Adjabi replaced another player in the 68th minute.
Lina Boussaha equalised for Algeria in the 83rd minute, and the match went to penalties. Azraf was substituted alongside Aït El Haj in the 86th minute, and Fatima Tagnaout made an appearance for Morocco in stoppage time. Lana Smits picked up a yellow card as the shootout loomed.
Zineb Redouani, Roselene Khezami and Najat Badri all missed their penalties for Morocco, and the hosts were left flat-footed. Ines Belloumou, Marine Dafeur and E. Nakkach found the net for Algeria to take the lead. Rania Bouteibi and Sofia Bekhaled added two more, and then Amira Braham Ould and Mourtaji Chaymaa missed.
Nouhaïla Benzina also missed her spot for Morocco, and Algeria took the third-place honour. The shootout took everything out of the players, and the final whistle brought relief rather than celebration. Morocco finished top of the group with seven points from three games, while Algeria sat second on six.
Morocco dominated possession at 60 per cent and registered 72 attacks compared to Algeria's 42. The hosts fired 11 shots off target and seven on target, while Algeria were more efficient with three on target and three off. Shot accuracy sat at 30 per cent for Morocco and 50 per cent for the visitors, and the figures told a story of chances going begging.
The result mattered more than the numbers. Morocco held on to the top spot, and Algeria moved closer to the leaders despite the loss. The tournament continues, and both teams will look to carry this moment into the next round.