WAFCON 2026: Algeria Beat Kenya to Seal Quarter-Final Spot

Algeria secured their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with a convincing 2-0 victory over Kenya in their final Group A match on Monday.

Marine Dafeur gave Algeria the perfect start, opening the scoring in the 14th minute before Lynda Bendris doubled the advantage just nine minutes later to cap a dominant first-half display.

The North Africans comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest at the Rabat Olympic Stadium to finish second in Group A with six points from three matches, behind hosts Morocco.

Morocco claimed top spot after a goalless draw against Senegal in the group’s other final-round fixture. The result left the hosts unbeaten on seven points, while Senegal finished third on four points and missed out on a place in the knockout stage. Kenya ended the tournament bottom of the standings without a point, scoring no goals and conceding seven.

Dafeur’s influential performance earned her the TotalEnergies Woman of the Match award after she inspired Algeria’s crucial victory.

Algeria opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Senegal before narrowly losing 1-0 to Morocco. Their victory over Kenya ensured qualification for the quarter-finals for the second successive edition of the tournament.

For Kenya, the defeat brought a disappointing end to their first WAFCON appearance in a decade. The East Africans exit the competition after defeats to Morocco, Senegal and Algeria.

Algeria will now await confirmation of their quarter-final opponents as the race for the continental title continues in Morocco.