Morocco booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after defeating reigning champions South Africa 2-1 on Saturday night.
The Atlas Lionesses took control of the quarter-final through Sakina Ouzraoui, who opened the scoring for the hosts.
Hanan Ait El Haj then doubled Morocco’s advantage from the penalty spot as the hosts moved closer to the last four.
South Africa, known as Banyana Banyana, reduced the deficit through Thembi Kgatlana in the 67th minute.
Morocco, however, held on for the victory and secured a semi-final meeting with either Nigeria or Cameroon.
The hosts will discover their opponents after Sunday’s quarter-final between the Super Falcons and Cameroon.
A meeting with Nigeria would renew the rivalry between the two sides, with the Super Falcons having defeated Morocco in the final of the previous WAFCON edition.
Nigeria beat Morocco in the 2024 final to claim a record-extending 10th continental title.
Morocco will now be seeking to go one step further on home soil as they continue their pursuit of a maiden WAFCON title.
Their semi-final qualification has also secured Morocco’s place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
All four teams that reach the WAFCON semi-finals will automatically qualify for next year’s global tournament.
(The Sun)