Côte d’Ivoire has taken a significant step toward the third round of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup African qualifiers, following a convincing 3–1 win over Morocco in the first leg.

Playing at the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, the Moroccan team collapsed around the half-hour mark, conceding two goals in just one minute. Safi Ouedraogo opened the scoring in the 30th minute, and just seconds after the restart, Nadège N’Guessan doubled the lead in the 31st.

Hajar Belkbir gave Morocco a glimmer of hope by pulling one back in the 57th minute. But Safi Ouedraogo struck again in the 66th, sealing the win for Côte d’Ivoire and securing her brace.

The second leg will be played exactly one week later at the dazzling Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia managed to salvage a 1–1 draw at home against Kenya. After conceding a first-minute goal from Elisabeth Mideva, the Junior Antelopes responded through Emush Daniel in the 66th minute.

Tanzania Virtually Through

Tanzania cruised past Angola with a dominant 4–0 victory in Dar es Salaam, thanks to two braces: one from Winfrida Gerald (20’, 29’) and another from Hasnath Ubamba (77’, 90+4’). The win puts the hosts in a strong position to reach the third round.

Elsewhere, Nigeria claimed a narrow 1–0 away win over Rwanda, with Alaba Olabiyi scoring the decisive goal in the 70th minute.

South Sudan will host Malawi in the final fixture of the weekend on Tuesday in Juba, while the return leg of Namibia vs. Uganda kicks off the next phase of matches on Monday.