Morocco Women Lose Africa Cup Semi-Final on Penalties
Listen to the story
Morocco's women's football team have been knocked out of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026 after losing their semi-final against Cameroon on penalty kicks.
The two sides could not be separated during normal time, so the match went to a penalty shoot-out. Cameroon came out on top and secured their place in the final.
As a result, Cameroon will now face Malawi in the final of the tournament, while Morocco's campaign has come to an end.
Morocco's women's team, known as the 'Lionesses of the Atlas', had hoped to reach the final and lift the trophy for their country.
This defeat has reminded many fans of a similar situation involving Morocco's men's national team. The men's side previously lost a major match on penalties as well, in a case linked to a player named Diaz.
Because of these two similar results, some fans and commentators are calling it a repeated 'scenario' for Moroccan football.
Cameroon's win means they have booked their spot in the final, where they will try to become champions of the competition by beating Malawi.
Vocabulary7 words
- semi-final
- the match played just before the final
- penalty shoot-out
- a way to decide a winner using penalty kicks after a tied match
- Lionesses of the Atlas
- the nickname of Morocco's women's football team
- Diaz
- a player connected to a similar past loss by Morocco's men's team
- scenario
- a situation or event that happens, often similar to another one
- champions
- the winners of a competition
- tournament
- a series of matches to find one winner
Quiz
Answer key
1. Because the score was equal after normal time 2. Lionesses of the Atlas 3. The men's team also lost a big match on penalties before, in a case linked to Diaz
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Morocco's women's football team have been knocked out of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2026 after losing their _____ against Cameroon on penalty kicks.
The two sides could not be separated during normal time, so the match went to a penalty _____. Cameroon came out on top and secured their place in the final.
As a result, Cameroon will now face _____ in the final of the tournament, while Morocco's campaign has come to an end.
Morocco's women's team, known as the 'Lionesses of the _____', had hoped to reach the final and lift the trophy.
This defeat has reminded many fans of a similar situation involving Morocco's men's national team, linked to a player named _____.
Because of these two similar results, some fans and commentators are calling it a repeated '_____' for Moroccan football.