Cameroon Sweeps Past Malawi 3-0 to Claim Maiden WAFCON Title and World Cup Spot

Heading into Sunday's final at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium, the prevailing sentiment across African football was that Malawi was destined to complete a fairytale run, while Cameroon's championship window had already closed. The Indomitable Lionesses had lost three previous continental finals, failed to initially qualify for this tournament, and only reached Morocco because the Confederation of African Football expanded the field from 12 to 16 teams. Against a surging Malawi side that had captured the continent's imagination by eliminating ten-time champions Nigeria, the veteran Cameroonian squad looked vulnerable to another upset.

The evidence on the pitch contradicted that narrative in just 45 minutes. Cameroon dismantled the tournament debutants 3-0 to claim their first-ever Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title, executing a flawless first-half game plan that neutralized the competition's most dangerous attack and secured their place at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. The victory erased years of frustration for a program that had consistently fallen short on the final day, transforming a squad that barely made the tournament into undisputed continental champions.[2][4]

"I love the moments I spend on the pitch every day. My style is participative and engaging," said Cameroon head coach Valentine Nguele, who took over the squad on June 12, 2026, just two months before the tournament began. Under her direction, a team that had struggled for form transformed into a clinical, defensive fortress. Nguele's tactical overhaul made her the fifth female coach to win the WAFCON title, proving that her short tenure was enough to completely reset the team's trajectory.[6]

The damage was entirely inflicted before the halftime whistle. In the 20th minute, winger Naomi Ndjoah Eto delivered a dangerous cross into the box. Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo managed to get a glove on the ball, but it deflected off the crossbar, allowing Grace Mendoua to set up Marie Ngah Manga for the opening goal. Ten minutes later, Eto doubled the advantage, finishing an assist from Myriam Nyadjou to stun the 153rd-ranked Scorchers and silence the traveling supporters.[4][5]

Ngah Manga then effectively ended the contest three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Collecting a precise pass from Eto, the striker netted her fifth goal of the tournament, sending Cameroon into the locker room with an insurmountable 3-0 lead. The third goal left Malawi needing an extraordinary second-half comeback against a defense that had proven nearly impossible to break down throughout the three-week campaign. Cameroon managed the second half expertly, frustrating Malawi as the Scorchers poured forward in search of a way back into the contest.[4][5]

For Malawi, the deficit proved too steep for even their prolific attacking duo to overcome. Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga had combined for nine goals during a historic run that saw them scorch their way to the final. But Cameroon's defense, anchored by Golden Glove-winning goalkeeper Michaely Bihina, held the siblings to just two shots on target. Bihina, who recorded nine saves against Nigeria in the quarterfinals and stopped three penalties in the semifinal shootout against Morocco, was rarely tested in the final as her backline stifled the Chawingas' pace.[5]

Despite the shutout, Temwa Chawinga's five tournament goals and superior assist tally earned her the WAFCON Golden Boot, edging out Zambia's Barbra Banda. The Kansas City Current star now returns to the National Women's Soccer League, having secured Malawi's first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup. While they will be disappointed not to have won the trophy, booking a place at next year's global tournament in Brazil will still count as a remarkable achievement for this new generation of Malawian players.[4]

Cameroon's defensive record ultimately defined their championship run. The Indomitable Lionesses conceded just two goals across six matches and kept a clean sheet throughout the entire knockout stage, proving that Nguele's system could withstand the continent's best attackers. The victory makes Cameroon only the fourth nation to lift the WAFCON trophy, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa. It also marks a historic milestone for the country's football federation, making Cameroon the third African nation to boast both men's and women's continental championships, cementing their status as a dual-threat powerhouse.[5]

The result fundamentally reshapes the hierarchy of African women's football ahead of the 2027 World Cup. With former heavyweights Nigeria and South Africa exiting in the quarterfinals, and debutants like Malawi and Morocco securing automatic World Cup berths alongside Algeria, the tournament in Rabat signaled a definitive changing of the guard. For Cameroon, the triumph is both a redemption story and a statement of intent: the Indomitable Lionesses will arrive in Brazil not as an aging squad that barely qualified, but as the undisputed champions of Africa. The historic win has already drawn national celebration, with the Cameroonian president formally honoring the squad for inspiring a new generation of young female athletes across the continent.[1][3][6]