Nigeria, Senegal and Mali revived their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 campaigns on Sunday, while Malawi confirmed their strong start by eliminating Egypt. Zambia suffered defeat, and Cape Verde also saw their hopes of progressing ended after the second round of group-stage matches.
The day had been viewed as potentially decisive for several teams, with qualification ambitions beginning to take shape across the four groups.
In Group A, Senegal responded to their opening-day defeat by beating Kenya 1-0. The Lionesses had been under pressure to produce a result after losing to Algeria, but recovered by overcoming the Harambee Starlets.
Morocco then edged Algeria 1-0 in the group’s other fixture. The result reopened the qualification race, with the outcome still finely balanced ahead of the final round of matches.
Group B produced a first draw of the tournament for Cote d’Ivoire. The Elephants took the lead against South Africa but were pegged back by the Banyana Banyana, who secured a 2-2 draw.
Tanzania had started the competition with a victory over South Africa, but the Twiga Stars were unable to continue that momentum. They were beaten 2-1 by Burkina Faso, known as the Etalons Dames.
Malawi continued to make an impression in Group C by defeating Egypt 3-1. The result brought an end to the Pharaohs Dames’ hopes of progressing from the group.
The reigning champions, Nigeria, were also under pressure to avoid another setback after a difficult start. They faced Zambia’s Copper Queens, who had recorded a convincing win in their opening match, but the Super Falcons secured a narrow 1-0 victory.
Rasheedat Ajibade and her team-mates did enough to claim the points and keep their title defence alive. With Egypt eliminated, the other three teams in the group still control their own qualification prospects, setting up a decisive final round.
In Group D, Ghana will have to wait until the third matchday to try to secure a place in the next stage. The Black Queens were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses.
Mali completed the day’s programme with a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in a closely contested match. The result ended Cape Verde’s hopes, while Mali stayed in contention in the group.
All results from the second matchday of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations group stage:
– Senegal 1-0 Kenya
– Morocco 1-0 Algeria
– South Africa 2-2 Cote d’Ivoire
– Burkina Faso 2-1 Tanzania
– Egypt 1-3 Malawi
– Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
– Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
– Mali 3-2 Cape Verde
