WAFCON 2026: We are coming for the crown - Morocco’s 4-0 warning to the Super Falcons

If the Super Falcons were watching the opening night of WAFCON 2026, they would have seen a team that has clearly moved on from the heartbreak of the 2025 final.

Morocco didn't just win their opening match against Kenya; they produced a tactical demolition that signals a new era for the Atlas Lionesses.

Playing in front of a passionate home crowd in Rabat, Jorge Vilda’s side looked like a team on a mission, sweeping aside the Harambee Starlets 4-0 in a performance defined by relentless pressure and clinical execution.

The contest was effectively over before the halftime whistle. After a tense opening 20 minutes, Sakina Ouzraoui broke the deadlock with a laser-focused low strike.

That goal opened the floodgates. Meriem Atiq quickly doubled the advantage with a towering header from a corner, before Ibtissam Jraidi joined the party with a header of her own to make it 3-0.

Kenya, returning to this stage after ten years away, looked shell-shocked by the speed and physicality of the Moroccan attack.

Any hope of a Kenyan comeback was extinguished just two minutes after the restart. Jraidi grabbed her second of the night, capping off a performance that underlined why she is one of the most feared forwards on the continent.

With a four-goal cushion, Vilda was able to rotate his squad, preserving energy for the battles ahead.

Morocco now sits atop Group A, edging out Algeria on goal difference. While it's only the first match, the level of "preparation" Vilda alluded to post-match was evident.

“It's a good start,” Vilda remarked calmly after the final whistle. “When you start a tournament like this, it means you've had good preparation. I'm satisfied.”

With the top four teams in this expanded 16-team tournament qualifying directly for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, Morocco has already taken a giant leap toward that goal.

But more importantly, they have proven they have the firepower to challenge the Super Falcons for the ultimate prize.