Morocco begin WAFCON 2026 campaign with convincing 4-0 win over Kenya

Morocco made a strong statement at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026 after recording a comfortable 4-0 victory over Kenya in their opening Group A fixture at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday.

The hosts produced a commanding display in front of their home supporters, with Ibtissam Jraidi scoring twice to inspire the Atlas Lionesses to a perfect start.

Sakina Ouzraoui and Meriem Atiq also found the back of the net as Morocco underlined their ambitions of going all the way on home soil.

The emphatic victory moved Jorge Vilda’s side to the top of Group A on goal difference, ahead of Algeria, who opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Senegal earlier on Sunday.

Morocco controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, using their attacking quality and experience to overwhelm a Kenyan side making their return to the continental finals after a 10-year absence.

For Kenya, the match represented a challenging comeback to Africa’s biggest women’s football tournament, as they struggled to contain a Moroccan team determined to improve on their consecutive runners-up finishes in the 2022 and 2024 editions.

Despite the comfortable scoreline, Morocco head coach Jorge Vilda remained focused on the team’s overall performance and praised the preparation that went into securing the opening victory.

“It’s a good start. When you start a tournament like this, it means you’ve had good preparation. I’m satisfied with what I saw from the team today,” Vilda said after the match.

The victory gives Morocco early momentum as they continue their pursuit of a maiden WAFCON title, while Kenya will look to bounce back in their remaining Group A matches.