By Kwame Bediako
Cameroon are Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions for the first time after beating Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat. All three goals came in the first half: Marie Ngah Manga headed in the opener, Naomi Eto volleyed home the second, and Ngah Manga added a third just before halftime.
Malawi’s dream run ends
Malawi, in their first-ever WAFCON final, could not find the same attacking spark that had stunned higher-ranked opponents earlier in the tournament. The Chawinga sisters were kept quiet, and Cameroon keeper Michaely Bihina made enough key saves to finish with a clean sheet.
From near-miss to champions
Cameroon’s triumph is a major turnaround after missing the 2024 edition and initially failing to qualify for 2026, only getting in when CAF expanded the tournament to 16 teams. They become the fourth different WAFCON winners, after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, and earn $2 million plus a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup alongside Malawi, Algeria and Morocco.
