Rabat – FUS Rabat made a strong start to their campaign for a place in the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League, defeating Algeria’s CF Akbou 4-0 in their opening match of the UNAF qualifiers on Tuesday.
The Moroccan club secured all three points in Tunis through goals from Odette Gnintegma, Salma Boukerch, Mari Cruz, and Hajar Errakkas.
The victory gives FUS Rabat an early boost in a four-team UNAF qualifying group that also includes Egypt’s FC Masar and Tunisia’s ASF Sousse. The teams are competing in a round-robin format, with each club playing three matches.
FUS Rabat makes a convincing start
FUS Rabat wasted little time establishing control against CF Akbou.
Odette Gnintegma opened the scoring before Salma Boukerch added a second to give the Moroccan side a comfortable advantage.
Mari Cruz then extended FUS Rabat’s lead before Hajar Errakkas completed the 4-0 victory in stoppage time.
The result puts FUS in a strong position at the beginning of the qualifying tournament and gives the Moroccan club valuable momentum ahead of its remaining matches.
Four teams competing for one UNAF place
Unlike some of the other regional qualification tournaments, the UNAF qualifiers feature a single group containing four teams.
FUS Rabat are joined by FC Masar of Egypt, ASF Sousse of Tunisia, and CF Akbou of Algeria.
Each team plays the other three sides once. This means FUS Rabat still have two matches remaining after their opening victory.
The Moroccan club will face ASF Sousse on Friday, September 4, before completing its campaign against FC Masar on Monday, September 7.
The results of those two matches will determine whether FUS Rabat finishes at the top of the group and secures the UNAF qualification spot for the final phase of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
FC Masar also makes a strong start
FUS Rabat was not the only team to begin the UNAF competition with an emphatic victory.
FC Masar of Egypt opened their campaign with a 9-0 demolition of hosts ASF Sousse on Tuesday.
The result means the Egyptian side also collected three points, setting up an early battle with FUS Rabat for the top position in the group.
With FUS Rabat and FC Masar both starting with wins, Friday’s fixtures will be particularly important in shaping the standings.
What qualification means for FUS Rabat
The UNAF tournament is one of six regional qualification competitions being used to determine the teams that will join the final phase of the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.
CAF confirmed that the six zonal winners will qualify for the final tournament alongside defending champions AS FAR and a representative from the host country.
That makes the UNAF competition particularly important for Moroccan women’s football.
AS FAR already have a guaranteed place in the final phase after winning the previous edition of the competition. FUS Rabat can now potentially join them by winning the North African qualifying tournament.
AS FAR already guaranteed a place
Morocco is already assured of representation in the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League through AS FAR.
The Rabat-based club enters the competition as defending champions and therefore do not need to go through the regional qualifiers.
CAF’s qualification list already includes AS FAR among the teams confirmed for the final tournament.
FUS Rabat, meanwhile, must earn their place on the pitch.
A successful UNAF campaign would give Morocco two representatives in the final tournament and further underline the country’s growing presence in African women’s club football.
Regional qualification race takes shape
Several other zones have already determined their representatives.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies won the COSAFA qualifying tournament after beating Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls 2-1 in the final.
In the CECAFA region, Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim secured qualification after defeating Kenya Police Bullets 1-0 in extra time. Agnes Nabukenya scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute.
Other regional tournaments, including WAFU A, WAFU B and UNIFFAC, are still being contested.
For FUS Rabat, however, the focus is now firmly on the UNAF group.
After a 4-0 opening victory, the Moroccan club has two matches left to secure the regional ticket and potentially join AS FAR in the final stage of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
