Côte d’Ivoire secured top spot in Group B at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after defeating Tanzania 2-1 on Tuesday night in Casablanca.
Goals from Nsira Ouedraogo and Ines Konan sealed a third straight unbeaten result for the Lady Elephants, who finished the group stage with seven points from three matches.
Tanzania grabbed a late consolation through Diana Msewa, but the defeat ended the Twiga Stars’ hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.
South Africa joined Côte d’Ivoire in the last eight after edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in the other Group B fixture, while Tanzania and Burkina Faso exited the competition with three points each.
Making their first WAFCON appearance since 2014, Côte d’Ivoire have impressed throughout the group stage, recording two wins and a draw to emerge as one of the tournament’s standout teams.
The Lady Elephants controlled much of the contest despite Tanzania entering the match knowing victory would secure a place in the knockout rounds.
The East Africans were also without suspended Hasnath Ubamba, who was sent off in their previous match.
After a closely contested opening half, Côte d’Ivoire broke the deadlock a minute before the interval. Ines Konan delivered a precise pass for Ouedraogo, who calmly finished to hand her side a deserved lead.
Tanzania searched for an equaliser after the restart, but Côte d’Ivoire remained organised and doubled their advantage in the 68th minute when Konan converted a penalty after a foul inside the area.
The goal effectively put the game beyond Tanzania, although the Twiga Stars continued to press until the closing stages.
Their persistence paid off deep into stoppage time when Diana Msewa converted a penalty to reduce the deficit, but there was little time left to force an equaliser.
Although Tanzania bowed out of the tournament, they ended their campaign with their first-ever WAFCON victory and scored in all three group matches, highlighting their progress on the continental stage.
For Côte d’Ivoire, the victory capped an impressive group campaign that began with a 4-1 win over Burkina Faso before a 2-2 draw against South Africa.
With eight goals scored and only one match without victory, the Lady Elephants head into the quarter-finals full of confidence as they continue their remarkable return to Africa’s biggest women’s football competition after a 12-year absence.
