Algeria defeat Senegal in WAFCON 2026 opening

Algeria kicked off the women’s Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON 2026 tournament with a 2-0 win over Senegal at the Olympic stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday. The expanded 16-nation tournament started on a good note for the Desert Foxes of Algeria who scored once in each half through Marine Dafeur’s opener and Mélissa Bethi’s […]

Algeria kicked off the women’s Africa Cup of Nations WAFCON 2026 tournament with a 2-0 win over Senegal at the Olympic stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday.

The expanded 16-nation tournament started on a good note for the Desert Foxes of Algeria who scored once in each half through Marine Dafeur’s opener and Mélissa Bethi’s late clincher to seal a first WAFCON win over Senegal on their first meeting.

Algeria had the opportunity to go ahead when the referee awarded the North Africans a penalty for Senegal captain Korka Fall’s foul on Algeria’s Oud Braham, allowing Dafeur to step up and send the goalkeeper the wrong way for 1-0 to Algeria on 42 minutes.

A poor clearance in the closing stages of the second half allowed Algeria to seal the deserved win, midfielder Berthi who recently signed a three-year contract with Washington Spirits in USA stepped past a defender before lashing a shot into the net with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

Algeria take an early Group A lead with three points as Senegal sink to the bottom, with Morocco and Kenya slugging it out on Sunday evening.