‘There’s real potential’: Dafeur believes Algeria can make their mark at Women’s World Cup
Marine Dafeur’s international career once appeared to have been taken away by injury, but more than a decade later the Algeria captain is preparing for the possibility of completing one of African football’s most remarkable personal journeys at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The 31-year-old played a central role as Algeria produced their finest-ever TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign, finishing third and securing a historic first qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For a side that began the tournament without widespread expectations of reaching the global finals, Algeria’s achievement represented a major breakthrough for women’s football in the country.
Dafeur was at the heart of it.
The Bristol City midfielder scored crucial goals, provided leadership in midfield and emerged as one of Algeria’s outstanding performers as Farid Benstiti’s team progressed beyond expectations in Morocco.
Their defining moment came on 8 August in Casablanca, where Algeria recovered to beat Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Victory secured a semi-final place and, more importantly, guaranteed Algeria direct qualification for Brazil 2027.
“There was a real mix of emotions flying around,” the France-born mastermind told FIFA.
“By qualifying for the semis, we’d already achieved something incredible, something historic. As if that weren’t enough, we’d guaranteed ourselves a spot at the World Cup. We kept saying to each other, ‘Can you believe it? We’re off to the World Cup!’, but it hadn’t really sunk in.”
Captain leads Algeria’s breakthrough
Dafeur’s influence had been evident from Algeria’s opening match.
She converted a penalty as Les Fennecs began their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Senegal, setting the tone for a tournament in which they would show defensive discipline, growing confidence and greater attacking ambition.
She was decisive again in the final group fixture against Kenya.
With Algeria seeking to guarantee their progression, Dafeur broke the deadlock with a spectacular free-kick before her side completed another 2-0 victory.
The goal quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the competition.
“I’ve scored free-kicks before but never one quite like that,” beamed a still slightly flabbergasted Dafeur.
“The coach shouted, ‘Leather it!’, whereas I usually prefer to wrap my foot around the ball. As I was lining up to hit it, I told myself to just keep cool and put my foot through it. I thought I was capable of finding the back of the net. The flight of the ball was incredible. I reckon it’s the best goal I’ve ever scored.”
The strike captured both her technical quality and the confidence with which Algeria approached the tournament.
For Dafeur, however, the reaction afterwards was almost as memorable as the goal itself.
“Time seemed to stand still. As soon as I made contact, I could see that it was goal-bound as it dipped and swerved. It took me a moment to realise it’d actually gone in. When I saw the net ripple, I couldn’t believe my eyes. My social media blew up. No matter where I looked, my goal was all I could see on there, and that’s still the case now. I’ve received thousands of messages.”
Algeria ultimately finished third, confirming the emergence of a team now capable of challenging Africa’s established powers.
A career that almost ended before it began
The scale of Dafeur’s contribution becomes even more significant when viewed against the setbacks that shaped her career.
Born in France, she represented the country at youth level and was part of the squad that finished third at the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada.
At 19, her trajectory appeared to be pointing directly towards the senior French national team.
Then injury intervened.
“Straight after the U-20 World Cup, I was promoted to the senior French national team. I then did my cruciate ligaments, and I had a setback six months’ later. As a result, I spent two years close to my family. I was with Lille at the time, and I said to myself, ‘Let’s see what football has in store for me’.”
Dafeur recovered and rebuilt her club career, later joining Fleury, only to suffer another serious knee injury.
“I then signed for Fleury. Things were going well, but I tore my cruciate ligaments again during pre-season. At that stage, I was leading a more settled adult life, and the French national team was nothing but a distant memory.”
What could have ended her international ambitions eventually opened another path.
Dafeur switched allegiance to represent Algeria, the country of her father’s birth, and gradually became one of the central figures in Benstiti’s side.
Three years after making that decision, she captained Algeria to the greatest achievement in the history of their women’s national team.
‘There’s real potential’
Dafeur believes Algeria’s breakthrough is not simply the product of one exceptional tournament.
The captain has been encouraged by the mixture of senior players and emerging talent within the squad, believing the national team now has the foundation to continue progressing.
“We’ve got a really good blend of players of all ages. I’m one of the older heads, but I don’t necessarily feel that way,” she admitted. “Regardless of their age, everyone in the squad has something to offer.”
One of the brightest examples is 21-year-old midfielder Melissa Bethi, part of a younger generation increasingly taking responsibility within the team.
“There’s real potential in this side, and we have a regular stream of youth talents coming through who bring something new to the table,” gushed Dafeur. “We’ve still got a little under a year to get some good work under our belts ahead of the World Cup, and we’ll be looking to make the most of that time.”
For Algerian football, that may be the most encouraging aspect of the team’s historic qualification.
Brazil 2027 is no longer simply a distant dream. It has become a target around which the women’s game in Algeria can build.
World Cup place remains Dafeur’s personal target
Despite being captain and one of Algeria’s standout performers, Dafeur is refusing to assume her place at the World Cup is guaranteed.
The new club season with Bristol City now becomes another important part of her preparations.
“I’m not going to sit here and say that I’ll definitely be going to the World Cup,” declared the veteran midfielder. “You never know what might happen, but being named in the squad is obviously my aim for this season. It’d be amazing to be involved.”
That caution is understandable for a player whose career has already been changed twice by serious knee injuries.
But should she make the final squad, Brazil would provide an extraordinary sense of symmetry.
Long before she became Algeria’s captain, Dafeur travelled to the South American country as a young player while developing through the academy system in France.
“After we qualified, my dad sent me a message,” the erstwhile Henin-Beaumont, Guingamp and Lille linchpin revealed. “He reminded me that my World Cup journey started in Brazil. I was fortunate enough to take part in a World Cup for schoolchildren when I was part of the academy at Lievin. He said to me, ‘You might end up playing in another World Cup in Brazil now in the twilight of your career’.”
For Dafeur, qualification therefore represents much more than another tournament.
It is the culmination of a career shaped by injuries, recovery, a change of international allegiance and the determination to continue when the obvious pathway disappeared.
For Algeria, her story mirrors that of the team itself.
They arrived in Morocco without the weight of expectation, left with a historic World Cup ticket and a continental bronze medal, and now head towards Brazil believing their breakthrough can be the beginning rather than the end.
And after spending years wondering what football might still have in store for her, Dafeur could yet find herself leading Algeria onto the biggest stage of all.
