The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon have been crowned African champions after beating tournament debutants Malawi 3-0 in the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, bringing an extraordinary tournament in Morocco to a close.
Marie Ngah scored twice, and Naomi Eto added another as Cameroon took control of the final before half-time, denying Malawi a fairytale ending to their first appearance at Africa’s premier women’s football tournament. Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Eto doubled Cameroon’s advantage nine minutes later.
Malawi, whose attacking threat throughout the competition had been built heavily around sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga, suddenly found themselves chasing the game against an experienced Cameroonian side.
Ngah struck again in first-half stoppage time to make it 3-0 and leave Malawi facing their biggest test of a tournament in which they had repeatedly exceeded expectations. The score remained unchanged after the break as Cameroon managed their advantage and kept Malawi from producing another of the upsets that had carried them all the way to the final.
The victory completes an impressive campaign for the Indomitable Lionesses, who arrived in Morocco as one of Africa’s established women’s football nations but had to negotiate a tournament in which several traditional powers were eliminated before the final.
Cameroon’s route to the title included a dramatic semi-final against hosts Morocco. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina emerged as one of the decisive figures in their campaign, producing an outstanding performance as Cameroon survived the knockout stages and reached another continental final. For Malawi, defeat does little to diminish a remarkable breakthrough.
The Scorchers entered the expanded 16-team WAFCON as debutants and were drawn in a difficult Group C alongside defending champions Nigeria, Zambia and Egypt. Few would have predicted that they would still be playing on the final night of the competition. CAF’s official tournament schedule confirms that the 2026 edition was Malawi’s first appearance at the finals. They quickly became one of the tournament’s biggest stories.
Led by the Chawinga sisters, Malawi produced a series of results that overturned expectations and established them as genuine contenders rather than simply first-time participants. Their campaign included a victory over defending champions Nigeria before they continued their run through the knockout stages.
In the semi-final, Malawi defeated Algeria 3-1, with Tabitha Chawinga scoring twice and Temwa adding another to send the country into its first WAFCON final. That run was particularly significant given Malawi’s position in African women’s football.
Unlike Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa and several of the continent’s established powers, Malawi arrived without a long history of competing at the tournament. Their performances in Morocco have therefore altered expectations around the national team and highlighted the quality available beyond Africa’s traditional women’s football powers.
The Chawinga sisters have been central to that rise. Temwa has established herself internationally through her performances in the United States, while Tabitha has built a successful career in European football. At WAFCON, their combination gave Malawi one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking partnerships.
Cameroon, however, found the answer when it mattered most. By scoring three times before the interval and preventing Malawi from finding a way back into the match, the Indomitable Lionesses turned what had promised to be an unpredictable final into a controlled championship performance.
The 2026 tournament itself has offered further evidence that the competitive landscape of African women’s football is widening. Nigeria, historically the dominant force in WAFCON, did not reach the final, hosts Morocco also fell short, while Malawi reached the championship match at their first attempt. For Cameroon, the final brought the prize that had repeatedly eluded them despite their long presence among Africa’s strongest women’s teams.
The Indomitable Lionesses had previously reached continental finals, including defeats to Nigeria in 2004 and on home soil in 2016. CAF records Nigeria’s 5-0 victory over Cameroon in 2004 as the biggest winning margin in a WAFCON final. This time, Cameroon were the team celebrating at the final whistle.
Malawi leave Morocco without the trophy, but with a significantly different standing in African football from the one with which they arrived. Cameroon leave as champions, having ended one of WAFCON’s most unpredictable editions with their most convincing performance when the title was on the line.
