Rabat – The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was officially launched with an opening ceremony at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday evening, shortly before Morocco began their Group A campaign against Kenya.
The ceremony took place in front of supporters gathered for the Atlas Lionesses’ first match of the competition and served as the formal opening of the tournament hosted by Morocco from July 26 to August 16.
The event provided an entertainment and ceremonial introduction to the competition before attention turned to the match.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe travelled to Rabat to attend the opening. He was received by Royal Moroccan Football Federation General Secretary Tarik Najem and was accompanied by CAF Acting General Secretary Samson Adamu.
CAF’s official tournament announcements confirmed that the Morocco-Kenya match was scheduled for 9 p.m. at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, following the earlier Group A game between Algeria and Senegal at the Rabat Olympic Stadium.
Algeria won the first match 2-0, but the principal opening celebration was held before the hosts took the field later in the evening.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the largest Women’s AFCON edition to date. The competition has expanded from 12 to 16 participating countries, divided into four groups, with 34 matches scheduled across Rabat and Casablanca.
Morocco entered the tournament seeking their first continental title after finishing as runners-up in the previous two editions.
