Morocco awaits Nigeria in Wafcon 2026 semifinals after South Africa upset

Hosts Morocco booked their place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 after edging former champions South Africa 2-1 in a thrilling quarter-final clash on Saturday evening.

The victory keeps the Atlas Lionesses’ impressive tournament campaign alive while also securing their qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

Morocco started brightly and came close to breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute when Sanaa Mssoudy rose highest to meet a cross, only to send her header narrowly over the bar.

South Africa responded almost immediately, with Thembi Kgatlana getting her first sight of goal a minute later. However, her effort also drifted over as both teams battled for control.

The hosts eventually found the breakthrough in the 31st minute. Sakina Ouzraoui produced a superb first-time finish inside the penalty area, reacting quickest to steer the ball beyond goalkeeper Kaylin Swart and score her second goal of the tournament.

Morocco carried their 1-0 advantage into the break and extended their lead just six minutes after the restart.

Hanane Aït El Haj confidently converted from the penalty spot after South Africa were penalised for a foul inside the area, putting the hosts firmly in control.

With their backs against the wall, Banyana Banyana responded with renewed urgency and pulled a goal back in the 67th minute.

Kgatlana provided the spark once again, cutting in from the left before unleashing a powerful strike that beat the Moroccan defence and goalkeeper to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The goal gave South Africa renewed belief, and they pushed forward relentlessly in search of an equaliser. Morocco, however, remained composed and well organised defensively, frustrating the visitors and restricting them to limited clear-cut chances.

Despite sustained pressure from South Africa in the closing stages, the hosts held firm to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

The result sends Morocco through to the WAFCON semi-finals, where they will return to action on Wednesday, 12 August. More importantly, the win guarantees the Atlas Lionesses a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

The North African side could face Nigeria in the semi final. That will be possible if the Super Falcons beat Cameroon on Saturday.

It could be a potential repeat of 2024 WAFCON final where Super Falcons came from two goals down to secure 3-2 win and sealed their 10th African title.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams. In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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