Côte d’Ivoire announced their return to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in emphatic fashion, defeating Burkina Faso 4-1 in their Group B opener at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Monday, July 28, 2026.

The Lady Elephants, making their first appearance at the continental tournament in 12 years, delivered a ruthless first-half performance that left Burkina Faso chasing the game from the opening whistle.

Rebecca Elloh gave Côte d’Ivoire the perfect start after calmly converting a seventh-minute penalty before Ines Konan doubled the lead seven minutes later with a composed finish from Rosemonde Kouassi’s assist.

Konan struck again in the 23rd minute, finishing off a flowing team move created by Nsira Ouedraogo to hand the Ivorians a commanding 3-0 advantage before halftime.

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Burkina Faso responded immediately after the restart when Adama Congo reduced the deficit in the 46th minute after a well-worked move involving Balkissa Sawadogo, raising hopes of a comeback.

However, Côte d’Ivoire quickly restored control of the contest. Ouedraogo capped an impressive display by finding the net in the 56th minute to make it 4-1, sealing an emphatic victory for Reynald Pedros’ side.

The convincing win gives Côte d’Ivoire a strong start to their WAFCON campaign and places them in a promising position in Group B following Tanzania’s surprise 2-1 victory over defending champions South Africa earlier in the day.



PAH/JKB