Tournament hosts Morocco underlined their ambitions of winning a first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Kenya in the opening Group A match of the 2026 tournament in Rabat.
A brace from Ibtissam Jraidi, together with goals from Sakina Ouzraoui and Meriem Atiq, secured an emphatic victory for the Atlas Lionesses, who climbed to the top of Group A on goal difference ahead of Algeria.
The convincing result continues Morocco’s impressive rise in women’s football as the North Africans look to improve on back-to-back runners-up finishes and finally lift the continental trophy on home soil.
For Kenya, however, the return to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a ten-year absence proved to be a difficult challenge against one of Africa’s strongest teams.
Morocco entered the tournament among the favourites after reaching the finals of the previous two editions, and Jorge Vilda’s side wasted little time demonstrating why.
Playing before an enthusiastic home crowd at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, the hosts dominated possession from the opening whistle and quickly established control through aggressive pressing and fluid attacking football.
Although Kenya initially defended with discipline and remained compact, Morocco’s relentless pressure eventually broke the resistance.
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Sakina Ouzraoui found space inside the penalty area before firing a low finish beyond the goalkeeper to give the hosts a deserved lead.
Rather than easing their intensity, Morocco continued to push forward in search of more goals.
Their attacking approach paid off just eight minutes later.
Meriem Atiq rose above the Kenyan defence to meet a corner before powering a header into the net, doubling Morocco’s advantage and leaving the Harambee Starlets with an increasingly difficult task.
Kenya struggled to contain the hosts as Morocco’s confidence continued to grow.
Before the interval, Ibtissam Jraidi added a third goal, also with a header, as Morocco overwhelmed their opponents during a dominant first-half display.
The three-goal cushion effectively settled the contest before half-time and allowed the Atlas Lionesses to approach the second period with greater composure.
Morocco continued to dictate the tempo after the restart and maintained control throughout the second half.
Jraidi completed her brace to cap another impressive performance from the Moroccan attack, ensuring the hosts celebrated an ideal start to the tournament with four unanswered goals.
The victory sends Morocco to the top of Group A with three points and a superior goal difference to Algeria, who earlier defeated Senegal 2-0
