WAFCON 2026: Morocco, South Africa clash | CAF
Morocco and South Africa will engage in rivalry in the quarter-final of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 on Saturday, with a place in the semi-finals and automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil at stake.
The quarter-final is scheduled for 9pm local time (8pm GMT) at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, with the winner progressing to the last four and securing a place at next year’s global tournament.
The fixture is a repeat of the 2022 WAFCON final when South Africa defeated hosts Morocco 2-1 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat to win their first continental title, a Saturday preview on the CAF website noted.
Hildah Magaia scored twice for South Africa in that final, in the 63rd and 71st minutes, before Rosella Ayane pulled one back for Morocco in the 80th minute.
The result extended South Africa’s run of five previous final defeats before they eventually lifted the trophy.
Saturday’s meeting will also determine which of the two sides earns an early ticket to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
Morocco are seeking a second appearance at the competition after making their debut in 2023, while victory would give South Africa a third World Cup appearance following their participation in 2019 and 2023.
Morocco enter the knockout stage after reaching the last eight for the third consecutive WAFCON edition. The hosts won their opening two Group A matches against Kenya and Algeria before drawing 0-0 with Senegal.
The draw ended Morocco’s run of 14 successive WAFCON matches in which they had scored, while it was only their second goalless match in the competition and their first since a 0-0 draw against DR Congo in 2000.
The result nevertheless extended Morocco’s defensive record at the current tournament.
They became the first Moroccan side to complete a WAFCON group stage without conceding and have gone 271 minutes without allowing a goal.
Goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi has kept three clean sheets at the tournament, taking her overall WAFCON tally to six in 15 appearances.
Morocco are aiming to reach the semi-finals for the third time.
They have won both of their previous quarter-finals, beating Botswana 2-1 in 2022 and Mali 3-1 in 2024, with both victories coming inside 90 minutes.
The hosts have also progressed through all four of their previous quarter-final and semi-final ties, although two of those victories came through penalty shoot-outs.
Their two shoot-out wins were against Nigeria in the 2022 semi-finals and Ghana at the same stage in 2024.
Morocco coach Jorge Vilda, who guided the team to the final at the previous edition, has lost only one of his nine WAFCON matches in charge.
The defeat came against Nigeria in the 2024 final, with Morocco recording five wins and three draws in the other eight matches.
South Africa, meanwhile, are appearing in the quarter-finals for the third time after reaching this stage in 2022 and 2024.
Banyana Banyana are seeking a 12th semi-final appearance and a 10th in succession, having reached the last four at every edition since their group-stage elimination in 2004.
Desiree Ellis’ side recovered from a slow start to the current tournament by beating Burkina Faso 1-0 in their final group match. The victory ended a five-match run without a win in open play, a sequence stretching across the end of the 2024 edition and the opening two matches of the current tournament.
The win over Burkina Faso also gave South Africa their first clean sheet since the goalless quarter-final against Senegal at the previous edition.
The South Africans have not won any of their last three WAFCON knockout matches in open play, with their most recent such victory coming against Morocco in the 2022 final.
Under Ellis, their knockout record stands at four wins, three draws and three defeats from 10 matches.
Thembi Kgatlana will be one of South Africa’s attacking players to watch after scoring the only goal against Burkina Faso.
The goal was her eighth at the WAFCON and second of the current tournament.
South Africa have won six of the seven WAFCON matches in which Kgatlana has scored, with the only exception being their 2-2 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in the current edition.
The quarter-final also brings a significant historical challenge for South Africa. Saturday’s match will be their eighth WAFCON meeting with a tournament host.
Their only victory in the previous seven such matches came against Morocco in the 2022 final, while they lost the other six.
South Africa have also never kept a clean sheet against a host nation in seven previous WAFCON matches.
They have faced hosts four times in the knockout rounds, losing to Nigeria in the 2002 semi-finals and Equatorial Guinea in the 2008 and 2012 finals before beating Morocco in 2022.
For Morocco, the match presents an opportunity to reach another semi-final on home soil and move closer to a first WAFCON title, while South Africa are seeking a return to the final four as they begin the defence of the continental status they secured in 2022.
But beyond the rivalry and history, the immediate prize is the same for both teams: a semi-final place and automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
