Cameroon’s women’s football team are African champions for the first time.
The Indomitable Lionesses beat Malawi 3–0 in the final of the 2026 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on August 16 at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The victory ends a 22-year wait for a continental title. Cameroon had reached the WAFCON final three times before — in 2004, 2014 and 2016 — losing each time to Nigeria without scoring a goal.
According to official Confederation of African Football (CAF) statistics, the Lionesses hold the record for the most final appearances by a Central African nation.
Fourth final’s a charm
In the final, Cameroon took control early. Marie Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute, and Naomi Najoah Eto doubled the lead nine minutes later with an acrobatic strike.
Ngah Manga added her second just before halftime to make it 3–0. BeIN Sports provided detailed coverage of the match, while sports website Yardbarker offered tactical analysis.
With the win, Cameroon became the fourth African nation to lift the WAFCON trophy, joining Nigeria (10 titles), Equatorial Guinea and South Africa (2022).
Cameroon’s path to the title was unusual. The team did not initially qualify on the pitch.
As CameroonOnline reports, they only entered the tournament after it was expanded from 12 to 16 teams.
Once in the competition, the Lionesses beat Ghana in the group stage, eliminated defending champion Nigeria 1–0 in the quarter-finals, and defeated host Morocco on penalties in the semi-finals.
A generational handover
One of the team’s leading figures was 21-year-old midfielder Monique Ngock, named Woman of the Competition for her overall tournament performance. According to Yardbarker, she is known for her tenacity, defensive anticipation and composure on the ball.
Ngock had played in Cameroon’s 2022 quarter-final elimination at age 17; four years later, she is a key player in the new champions’ squad.
In an interview with CAF, quoted by Olympics.com, Ngock reflected on her initial lack of family support. She hopes this WAFCON title will show young girls watching African women’s football today that “girls can do anything.”
Cameroonian players dominated the individual awards. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina, who played a decisive role in the semi-final penalty shootout against Morocco, earned the Best Goalkeeper Award.
According to The Ghana Report, Marie Ngah Manga was named Player of the Final. The Golden Boot went to Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga, who scored five goals and made two assists during her country’s tournament debut.
How will Cameroon make the best of this landmark moment?
The final was the first since 2022 to feature two teams that had never won the title. CAF hailed it as a historic event for both sides, reflecting the narrowing talent gap in African women’s football.
Source: Global Voices