Nigerian referee Eunice Akintoye has been appointed to officiate the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semifinal between Algeria and Malawi at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday evening.
The appointment was confirmed by CAF Media on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, marking another significant moment for Nigerian refereeing on the continental stage.
Akintoye will be taking charge of her second match at the tournament after previously officiating the group-stage encounter between Senegal and Kenya, which Senegal won 1-0.
The Nigerian official has also served as the fourth official in three other matches at the tournament, including the opening game between Algeria and Senegal, as well as the group-stage fixtures between Mali and Cape Verde and Malawi and Zambia.
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Wednesday’s semifinal represents Akintoye’s biggest assignment yet at the tournament, with both Algeria and Malawi chasing a historic place in the final.
Algeria reached the last four for the first time in their history after overcoming Ivory Coast 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Malawi, meanwhile, continued their impressive debut campaign by defeating Ghana 2-1 to become the first WAFCON debutants since Zimbabwe in 2000 to reach the semifinals.
Zimbabwe were eliminated by Nigeria at the semifinal stage in 2000.
The two sides have taken contrasting routes to the last four. Algeria have impressed with their defensive organisation, keeping two clean sheets and conceding just twice in the tournament so far.
Malawi, on the other hand, have been one of the competition’s most dangerous attacking teams, scoring nine goals, the highest tally among the four semifinalists.
Both teams have already secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup by reaching the semifinals.
However, with a place in the WAFCON final at stake, Algeria and Malawi will be looking to take another step towards an unprecedented continental triumph, with Akintoye set to play a central role in the biggest match of their campaigns.
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