Cameroon wins first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title

3-0: the scoreline that ended Cameroon’s long wait for a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title. The Lionesses beat Malawi in the 2026 final at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on August 16, 2026, claiming their first continental crown and leaving Malawi without a title in its first final.

The result measured a shift in African women’s football. Cameroon had reached three earlier WAFCON finals — 2004, 2014 and 2016 — and lost each to Nigeria without scoring. This time, Cameroon scored three times before halftime. Marie Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute, Naomi Najoah Eto added a second goal nine minutes later, and Ngah Manga scored again before the break.

Cameroon became the fourth African nation to win WAFCON, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. The victory touched a generation of players and young fans in Cameroon, where women’s football has produced stars but never the trophy.

Cameroon did not initially qualify on the pitch; the team entered after the tournament expanded from 12 to 16 teams. Once in the draw, the Lionesses beat Ghana in the group stage, eliminated defending champion Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals, and beat host Morocco on penalties in the semi-finals.

Individual awards followed the team result. Midfielder Monique Ngock, 21, was named Woman of the Competition. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina won Best Goalkeeper after the semi-final shootout against Morocco. Ngah Manga was named Player of the Final. Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga took the Golden Boot with five goals and two assists in her country’s debut tournament.

Ngock, who played in Cameroon’s 2022 quarter-final loss at age 17, said she hopes the title shows young girls that “girls can do anything.”

The final also marked the first WAFCON final since 2022 to feature two teams that had never won the title. For Cameroon, the trophy turns three lost finals into a first win and gives young players a first title to aim for.