Kenya are back on the continental stage after a 10-year absence, with the Harambee Starlets determined to make a stronger impression at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The East Africans will make only their second appearance at the tournament, having debuted in 2016, where they exited at the group stage without earning a point. This time, however, Kenya arrive with renewed confidence after an impressive qualification campaign and under the guidance of head coach Beldine Odemba.

Kenya booked their place at the finals by overcoming Tunisia and Gambia in the qualifying rounds. Their campaign began with a hard-fought 1-0 aggregate victory over Tunisia. After a goalless first leg at home, Terry Engesha scored the decisive goal in Sousse to seal a memorable away win and qualification to the next round.

The Harambee Starlets then dispatched Gambia 4-1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round. HB Koge striker Mwanalima Adam Jereko, who had already found the net in the first leg, scored the only goal of the return fixture to complete a convincing aggregate triumph.

Kenya’s only previous WAFCON appearance came in Cameroon in 2016, where they endured a difficult introduction to Africa’s premier women’s football competition. They suffered successive 3-1 defeats to Ghana and Mali before losing 4-0 to eventual champions Nigeria.

Despite the disappointing results, Kenya made history when Esse Akida scored their first-ever WAFCON goal, giving them an early lead against Ghana in their tournament opener before the West Africans rallied with three second-half goals to claim victory.

A decade later, Kenya are still searching for their first points, first victory and first clean sheet in the competition, milestones they hope to achieve in Morocco.

Preparations for the tournament have included participation in the FIFA Women’s Series held in Nairobi in April, where Kenya gained valuable international experience against Australia, India and fellow WAFCON finalists Malawi.

Leading the team is Odemba, a former Kenya international who took over as head coach in September 2023. A CAF A Licence holder, she previously coached Kenya’s Under-20 women’s national team and guided Police Bullets to the 2023/24 Kenyan Women’s Premier League title.

With a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent, Kenya will be hoping their long-awaited return to WAFCON marks the beginning of a new chapter, one that finally delivers their first victory and points at Africa’s biggest women’s football tournament.

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Algeria will head into the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) looking to build on the momentum of their historic breakthrough at the last edition, when they reached the knockout stage for the first time in the competition’s history.

The North Africans are set for their seventh appearance at the continental finals and only the second time they have qualified for successive editions, having previously achieved the feat in 2004 and 2006.

After years of frustration that saw them exit at the group stage in each of their first five appearances, Algeria finally made history at the 2024 tournament by advancing to the quarter-finals before bowing out to Ghana in a penalty shootout.

That impressive campaign was built on defensive solidity. Algeria completed the tournament without conceding a single goal, recording four clean sheets before their elimination on penalties. They have now gone 416 minutes at the WAFCON finals without letting in a goal, with the last goal they conceded coming in a 3-2 defeat to Mali in their final group match of the 2018 tournament.

However, while their defence has become one of the strongest on the continent, goals have proved much harder to come by.

Algeria have scored only once in their last four WAFCON matches, with Gohutia Kharchouni’s 10th-minute strike in the 1-0 victory over Botswana in their opening game of the 2024 edition remaining their most recent goal at the finals.

Since then, the Desert Foxes have failed to score in three consecutive matches, all of which ended in goalless draws. They have now gone 381 minutes without finding the net in WAFCON competition.

Despite that attacking drought, the team remains difficult to beat. They progressed through the group stage unbeaten for the first time at the last tournament, underlining the progress made under head coach Farid Benstiti.

Algeria’s opening-match record at the finals has been mixed. In six previous opening fixtures, they have recorded two victories and four defeats, with none ending in a draw.

They suffered heavy defeats to Nigeria (4-0) in 2004 and South Africa (4-0) in 2006 before losing 2-1 to Ghana in 2010. Their fortunes improved in 2014 with a 1-0 victory over Ghana, a feat they repeated at the 2024 finals by defeating Botswana by the same scoreline.

Overall, Algeria have won just three of their 19 WAFCON matches, drawing four and losing 12. Their victories came against Mali (3-0) in 2004, Ghana (1-0) in 2014 and Botswana (1-0) in 2024.

The North Africans booked their place at the 2026 finals in convincing fashion. They crushed South Sudan 8-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round before overcoming Cameroon 3-1 over two legs to secure qualification.

Kharchouni, who scored Algeria’s only goal at the last finals, was also their leading scorer during the qualifying campaign with four goals.

Benstiti, meanwhile, returns for his second WAFCON tournament after becoming the first coach to guide Algeria beyond the group stage. He will now be hoping to take the team another step further as they seek to establish themselves among the continent’s leading women’s football nations.

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Senegal will begin their campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), aiming to extend an impressive record of opening-match victories while seeking to move beyond the quarter-final stage for the first time in their history.

The Lionesses of Teranga are making their fourth appearance at the continental finals and their third in succession, having established themselves as one of Africa’s emerging forces in women’s football.

After making their tournament debut in 2012, Senegal have reached the knockout stage in each of their last two appearances, although both campaigns ended in heartbreaking penalty shootout defeats in the quarter-finals.

Their maiden appearance in Equatorial Guinea in 2012 proved difficult, with the West Africans losing all three group matches, including a 1-0 defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in their tournament opener.

A decade later, however, Senegal announced their arrival with a 2-0 victory over Uganda in their opening match of the 2022 finals, registering both their first-ever WAFCON win and their first clean sheet at the competition.

They maintained that momentum by defeating Burkina Faso before eventually bowing out to Zambia on penalties in the quarter-finals after losing to Morocco in the group stage.

At the 2024 edition, Senegal once again made a flying start, thrashing DR Congo 4-0 in their opening fixture. However, successive defeats to Zambia and hosts Morocco were followed by a goalless quarter-final draw with South Africa, where they again exited on penalties.

The pattern means Senegal are seeking a third consecutive opening-match victory at the finals, with all three of their previous opening games producing victories for one side without conceding a goal.

Despite their encouraging starts, Mame Moussa Cissé’s side arrive at the tournament on a three-match winless streak, recording one draw and two defeats in their closing matches of the previous edition.

Interestingly, Senegal have never endured a run of four matches without a victory at the WAFCON finals, providing added motivation as they begin another campaign.

Their attacking hopes will once again rest heavily on Nguenar Ndiaye, Senegal’s leading scorer in the competition with five goals across the last two tournaments.

Ndiaye was one of the stars of the 2024 edition, netting four goals—the highest tally by a Senegalese player at a single WAFCON—and became the first player from her country to score in successive matches at the finals after finding the net in the opening two games.

Senegal’s six goals at the 2024 tournament also represented their highest scoring return in a single edition, while they recorded three clean sheets in four matches, another national best at the competition.

Defensively, the Lionesses have shown remarkable improvement, keeping three clean sheets in their last four WAFCON matches after managing just one shutout in their first seven tournament games.

Their road to Morocco once again demonstrated their resilience. Senegal edged Côte d’Ivoire in the qualifiers after both legs finished goalless before triumphing 5-4 in a penalty shootout away from home.

The team will once again be guided by head coach Mame Moussa Cissé, who has been in charge since 2019 and is leading Senegal to a third consecutive WAFCON final.

Having established themselves as consistent quarter-finalists, Senegal’s next challenge is to finally break through that barrier and mount a serious bid for a place among Africa’s elite in the latter stages of the competition.

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