One, two, three, four!!!  Those were the goals Morocco put past Kenya in their opening game of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, a performance that could hardly have offered a more convincing start to their pursuit of a first continental title.

Morocco began that chase with a 4-0 victory over Kenya, a side returning to the competition for the first time since 2016, their maiden appearance at the tournament.

The result at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat sent the Atlas Lionesses to the top of Group A, above Algeria, who had beaten Senegal 2-0 earlier in the day.

It was emphatic. It was commanding. And for long periods, it was exactly what was expected from Jorge Vilda’s side on home soil.

Morocco took the lead in the 19th minute through Sakina Ouzraoui after an excellent pass from Yasmine-Katie Mrabet.

Nine minutes later, they doubled their advantage from a corner, with Maryame Atiq finding the net. By the 31st minute, the contest already looked over as Ibtissam Jraidi headed home from Ait El Haj’s cross into the box to make it 3-0.

From that point, there was little left of the contest. Kenya struggled to cope with Morocco’s movement, intensity and quality, and what had started as an opening fixture quickly became a one-sided affair that threatened to turn into a heavy humiliation.

The fourth goal arrived early in the second half. Jraidi was involved once again, combining well with Ait El Haj to extend their lead in the 49th minute. Kenya at least prevented the scoreline from becoming even heavier, but there was little else to take from a difficult return to the WAFCON stage.

Their attention now turns to a North African rivalry against Algeria, a match they will hope to win to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

For Morocco, however, the bigger picture is impossible to ignore.

This is a team still chasing history.

They finished runners-up to South Africa in 2022 as the tournament hosts, before losing another final to Nigeria in 2024 as hosts as well. Now, they are back on home soil once again, hoping a third attempt will finally deliver the title that has so far eluded them.

The question, though, is whether this victory offered any genuine glimpse of that possibility.

Perhaps.

But perhaps not as much as the scoreline suggests.

With no disrespect to Kenya, Morocco were overwhelming favourites before kick-off. Kenya had not featured at the tournament in a decade, while Morocco have steadily established themselves among Africa’s elite over the past few years.

The result itself, therefore, was hardly surprising.

If anything, the margin of victory was more impressive than the outcome.

Does it send a message to the rest of the continent? Not necessarily.

Morocco’s biggest challenge has rarely been against the continent’s emerging sides. Since their rise, the real examination has come against Africa’s established heavyweights.

The defeats in the 2022 and 2024 finals remain the clearest evidence of that.

Those are the matches that will ultimately define whether this generation can finally become champions.

That is why it would be premature to read too much into a comfortable victory over Kenya. At the same time, it would also be wrong to dismiss it entirely.

One of the more encouraging aspects of Morocco’s performance was that several influential players were either absent or only lightly involved.

Ghizlane Chebbak and Fatima Tagnaout did not feature, while Soumia Hady played only the final 30 minutes.

Those players have been central to Morocco’s rise over recent editions of WAFCON and will almost certainly be vital again if they are to go all the way this summer. The fact Morocco produced such a dominant display without relying heavily on some of their biggest names perhaps says more than the result itself.

It hints at a squad with greater depth, greater flexibility and more solutions than in previous tournaments.

Whether that ultimately proves enough remains to be seen, and it is still far too early to make sweeping conclusions after one match, but Morocco entered this WAFCON tournament as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, and nothing about this opening performance changes that assessment.

If anything, it reinforces it.

There is still a long road ahead, and sterner examinations will come. For now, though, Morocco could scarcely have asked for a better start.

The real evidence of their title ambitions will come when the opposition grows stronger.