West Ham United Women defender Inès Belloumou is one victory away from reaching the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final as Algeria prepare to face Malawi in Rabat on Wednesday evening.
Belloumou has already helped Algeria achieve something historic during the tournament. Their quarter-final victory over Ivory Coast secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with Algeria booking their place at the tournament for the first time.
Attention now turns to an even bigger prize.
Ines Belloumou one win from WAFCON final
Algeria face Malawi at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Wednesday, with kick-off scheduled for 6pm BST. A victory would send Belloumou and her international teammates into Sunday’s WAFCON final.
West Ham’s official website highlighted Algeria’s progress after they came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in the quarter-finals and reach the last four.
It has already been a memorable tournament for Belloumou, who switched international allegiance to Algeria in 2025 after representing France at several youth levels. The 25-year-old joined West Ham from Bayern Munich in 2024 and made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers last season.
Her run in Morocco also provides another positive story around a West Ham Women squad undergoing major change under Rita Guarino.
ReadWestHam covered that rebuild again on Tuesday, with summer signing Ebony Salmon explaining why Guarino’s plans convinced her to move to east London.
Belloumou will return from international duty with a World Cup place already secured.
First, however, Algeria have the chance to turn a historic summer into an even more memorable one by reaching the WAFCON final.
UK viewers can watch Algeria v Malawi on Channel 4, while CAF’s YouTube coverage is available in territories without a local broadcaster.
