Algeria have written a new chapter in their women’s football history after defeating Morocco 3-2 on penalties to claim third place at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The North African neighbours drew 1-1 after regulation time before Algeria prevailed in the shootout to secure the bronze medal at the Rabat Olympic Stadium.
It is Algeria’s first podium finish at the WAFCON, surpassing their previous best result of reaching the quarter-finals at the 2024 edition.
The result is particularly significant given Algeria’s difficult history at the competition.
The team first qualified for the WAFCON in 2004 and subsequently appeared in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions before missing the 2022 tournament. Their 2024 campaign marked a breakthrough when they reached the quarter-finals for the first time.
Two years later, they have gone a step further — and then another — by reaching the semi-finals and finishing third.
The bronze-medal match was itself historic before the ball was kicked.
CAF confirmed that Morocco-Algeria was the first WAFCON medal match between two North African teams and the first third-place play-off contested by teams from the same region.
The encounter also carried an element of revenge for Algeria.
Morocco had beaten Algeria 1-0 in their Group A meeting earlier in the tournament, with Sanaa Mssoudy scoring in the 84th minute. Both sides subsequently advanced through the competition and returned to meet for the bronze medal.
This time, Algeria refused to surrender. After the teams finished level at 1-1, Morocco were handed a potentially decisive opportunity when the referee awarded a penalty in the sixth minute of added time.
The hosts, however, failed to convert the spot-kick in the following minute, keeping Algeria alive and sending the contest to penalties.
Algeria then prevailed 3-2 in the shootout, sparking celebrations and securing a historic bronze medal.
For the Algerian players, the achievement represents the culmination of a remarkable progression.
The country’s women’s team had never previously finished among the top three at the continental championship. FIFA’s tournament profile lists the 2024 quarter-finals as their previous best WAFCON result.
Their advancement also reflects the growing strength of the North African women’s game. Morocco themselves have emerged as a major force in recent WAFCON editions, reaching the final in 2024, while Algeria have now established themselves as another increasingly competitive side from the region.
CAF’s tournament data showed the historical significance of the bronze-medal fixture, with the winner joining Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia among the nations that have previously finished third at the competition.
Algeria’s achievement therefore extends beyond a single penalty shootout.
It represents a remarkable progression from repeated early tournament exits to a first quarter-final in 2024, a first semi-final in 2026 and now a first-ever WAFCON medal.
For the Fennec Foxes, the bronze medal is both a historic reward and evidence that Algeria’s women’s football project is moving steadily into the upper tier of the African game.