Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria will contest the opening quarter-final of the Women’s AFCON 2026 at Stade Moulay Rachid in Casablanca, with victory securing a place in the last four and a direct route to the Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The match kicks off on Saturday at 19:00 French time, 18:00 in Algeria and 17:00 in Cote d’Ivoire. Live coverage and commentary will be available on Afrik-Foot as the two teams compete for the first semi-final place of the tournament.
It will be the first time Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria have met at the Women’s AFCON. The Ivorian side reached the knockout stage as an unbeaten group winner, collecting seven points from three matches.
The Elephantes began their campaign with a 4-1 victory over Burkina Faso before drawing 2-2 with South Africa. They completed the group phase by beating Tanzania 2-1, putting them at the top of their section and into the quarter-finals without defeat.
Algeria also made a strong start, defeating Senegal 2-0 in their opening match. The Vertes then lost 1-0 to Morocco before recovering to beat Kenya 2-0. Their quarter-final appearance gives them the opportunity to reach the semi-finals for the first time.
Cote d’Ivoire, meanwhile, are aiming to return to the final four 12 years after making their first appearance at that stage. The match therefore carries a notable milestone for both teams: Algeria are seeking a historic breakthrough, while Cote d’Ivoire are looking to revive a previous achievement.
The tie also brings together four of the competition’s prominent goalscorers. Algeria will look to Marine Dafeur, while Cote d’Ivoire will rely on Ines Konan, Grace-Ruth Sery and Nsira Ouedraogo. Between them, the four forwards have scored nine goals in the tournament.
There has been one change to Reynald Pedros’ Cote d’Ivoire starting line-up since the team’s previous match. Frederique Abrogoua comes into the side, replacing Rosemonde Kouassi.
Algeria manager Farid Benstiti has made two changes to his starting XI. Sofia Bekhaled and Lina Boussaha are both included from the beginning, while Ines Boutaleb and Sofia Guellati drop to the substitutes’ bench after suffering injuries against Kenya.
The winner will take the first available place in the semi-finals and secure qualification for the Women’s World Cup in Brazil. For Algeria, success would represent a first semi-final appearance. Cote d’Ivoire are seeking to reach that stage for the second time, with their previous run coming 12 years ago.