Wafcon 2026 review: Glory for Cameroon, Nigeria flop and Malawi cause a stir

Monique Ngock starred as Cameroon triumphed for the first time in a tournament of compelling surprises, even if crowd figures disappointed Cameroon became only the fourth country to lift the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, and only the third to have both a men’s and women’s continental champion, after a 3-0 win over Malawi in Rabat last weekend.

The result was significant for several reasons, not least because it gave the competition a new winner after the former champions Nigeria and South Africa were eliminated in the quarter-finals to mark a changing of the guard in the African women’s game.

It is worth remembering that Cameroon did not directly qualify for this edition of the Wafcon and were only added when the tournament was expanded to 16 teams last November.

That gave them the opportunity to compete, but almost no one would have picked them as champions based on reputation and results.

Cameroon had not reached a Wafcon final in a decade and had never even scored a goal in the final, but had three before half-time against a Malawi side that seemed destined to complete a fairytale.

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