Cameroon have won their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with an emphatic 3-0 victory over tournament debutants Malawi on Sunday evening at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
A brace from Marie Ngah Manga and a goal from Naomi Eto, all scored in the first half, secured the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon’s first continental trophy. They previously made the WAFCON final in 2004, 2014 and 2016, but lost all three to Nigeria.
Cameroon will receive $2 million in prize money from the Confederation of African Football, double the prize pot from 2025 WAFCON. Malawi will receive $750,000 as finalists.
Despite expectations of a dual Malawian threat of Chawinga sisters Temwa and Tabitha, the Scorchers were unable to match Cameroon’s technical precision in the midfield nor their tenacity in front of goal.
Cameroon’s unique and wholly unexpected journey to the WAFCON final began long before their first match. They did not initially qualify for the tournament but were admitted last November as the result of a spontaneous decision by CAF to expand the WAFCON format from 12 teams to 16 for the first time. Mali, Ivory Coast and Egypt were also admitted by way of expansion due to their high FIFA rankings.
That finish. That's how you double a lead in a final. ⚽️🇨🇲#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026pic.twitter.com/genyUEwRUZ
— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) August 16, 2026
Grouped with Ghana, Mali, and Cape Verde, Cameroon were undefeated in the preliminary stage of their WAFCON campaign, beating Mali 2-1 and Ghana 1-0 before drawing Cape Verde 1-1 to top Group D and reach the knockout stage.
They faced Nigeria in the quarterfinals. On top of being 10-time and reigning WAFCON champions, Nigeria had also won a vast majority of its meetings with Cameroon; out of 40 games, Cameroon had won just two before Aug. 9. But Cameroon were not to be denied in the quarterfinal match, scoring a goal in the 19th minute and holding their lead in a shock 1-0 upset win over the Super Falcons of Nigeria that also crystalized their qualification to the 2027 World Cup.
Cameroon’s quarterfinal performance also served as a coronation for goalkeeper Michaely Bihina. The preternatural instinct and composure from the 22-year-old Benfica product was hugely instrumental in Cameroon’s ability to deny Nigeria the chance to equalize, but their next match against Morocco in the WAFCON semifinals vaulted her into superlative territory.
The semifinal was a predator derby of sorts between the Indomitable Lionesses and the Atlas Lions of Morocco. The latter, who’ve now hosted three consecutive WAFCON tournaments, were favored to win this edition after being two-time finalists in their last two attempts. Like Cameroon, Morocco were also undefeated in the group stage and were coming off a hard-fought win over South Africa in their quarterfinal fixture.
Bihina recorded three saves in Cameroon’s scoreless draw with Morocco, including a crucial penalty save at the end of regulation to send the match into extra time. She followed that up with three more saves in the penalty shootout to send Morocco to the third place match as they booked their spot in their first WAFCON final since 2016.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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