Hosts Morocco face neighbours Algeria in the third-place play-off of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Saturday, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. local time, three days after both sides fell in the semi-finals.
The match marks the first medal clash between two North African teams in the tournament’s history and the first time sides from the same region have contested the third-place fixture. Morocco were eliminated on penalties by Cameroon after a goalless draw through extra time, while Algeria lost 3-1 to debutants Malawi, a result that already guarantees the Fennecs their best-ever WAFCON finish regardless of Saturday’s outcome.
Morocco coach Jorge Vilda said his squad had moved past the semi-final disappointment. “The players have regained their balance and are now resolutely concentrating on the third-place fixture,” he said, adding that the team wanted to show mental strength and close the tournament with a win.
A Morocco victory would give the hosts a third consecutive top-three finish, following runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024, and would make them the first host nation to win the third-place play-off since South Africa in 2010. The winner will also become the eighth different nation to finish third at WAFCON, joining Cameroon, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia.
The two sides have already met once this tournament, with Morocco winning 1-0 in the group stage through Sanaa Mssoudy’s 84th-minute strike. Algeria remain without a goal against North African opposition at the tournament. Ghana holds the record for the most third-place finishes at WAFCON, having won all four of its previous play-offs, in 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2024.
