Cameroon have been crowned champions of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after defeating debutants Malawi 3-0 in a commanding final in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday night.
The Indomitable Lionesses produced a dominant performance at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, combining early attacking pressure with clinical finishing to secure their first-ever WAFCON championship. The victory also ended Cameroon’s long wait for a continental title in the women’s game after several near misses in previous editions.
Cameroon went into the final knowing they were facing a Malawi side that had already made history by reaching the title decider on their first appearance at the tournament. However, the Scorchers struggled to contain their opponents once the match got underway, as Cameroon quickly established control of the contest.
The final had been billed as a historic meeting because neither Cameroon nor Malawi had previously won the WAFCON title. CAF had confirmed before the match that the encounter would produce a first-time champion, with both teams arriving in the final after impressive runs through the expanded 2026 tournament.
Cameroon wasted little time making their superiority count.
Marie Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute, giving the Cameroonians an early advantage and immediately putting Malawi under pressure. The forward’s goal settled some of the tension surrounding the final and gave Cameroon the platform to impose their attacking game.
Naomi Ndjoah Eto then doubled the advantage in the 29th minute, leaving Malawi with a difficult task before the interval.
With Cameroon already two goals ahead, Malawi needed a strong response to remain competitive. Instead, the Indomitable Lionesses continued to dictate the game and created further problems for the Malawian defence.
Ngah struck again in first-half stoppage time, scoring in the 45th minute plus three to complete her brace and send Cameroon into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.
The three-goal advantage meant Malawi faced an uphill battle after the restart. The Scorchers had enjoyed a remarkable tournament, but the final exposed the gulf between the two teams on the night as Cameroon maintained control and prevented Malawi’s attacking players from finding the opportunities they had produced earlier in the competition.
The Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, had been central to Malawi’s historic campaign. The pair entered the tournament as two of the team’s biggest attacking threats, with their performances helping the debutants reach the latter stages and eventually secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
However, against Cameroon, Malawi found it difficult to reproduce the attacking effectiveness that had carried them through the tournament.
Cameroon, meanwhile, remained disciplined and continued to look dangerous whenever they moved forward. Their superiority reflected in the final scoreline.
Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene found the net in the 90th minute but it was ruled out for offside.
The final whistle triggered celebrations among the Cameroonian players and supporters. The result confirmed Cameroon as the new champions of African women’s football and ensured the country would leave Morocco with a historic continental crown.
The triumph is particularly significant because Cameroon had previously come close to winning the WAFCON without managing to lift the trophy. The team had finished as runners-up on several occasions and had established itself as one of Africa’s strongest women’s football nations, but the title had remained elusive.
Cameroon’s success also adds another chapter to the country’s long-standing reputation in African football. The men’s national team has won the Africa Cup of Nations multiple times, while the women’s side had been searching for its own continental breakthrough.
The 2026 final therefore represented more than just another tournament victory. It was an opportunity for a generation of Cameroonian players to finally deliver the country’s first WAFCON title.
The victory also marked a remarkable turnaround for Cameroon at this year’s tournament. The side had entered the competition as one of the established names in African women’s football, while Malawi arrived as one of the tournament’s biggest surprise packages.
Malawi’s journey to the final was historic regardless of the outcome. The Scorchers were appearing at the WAFCON for the first time and went all the way to the championship match, overcoming more experienced opposition on their way.
Their run also secured Malawi a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, making the campaign a landmark moment for women’s football in the country. Reuters reported ahead of the final that Malawi’s semi-final achievement had already secured their qualification for the World Cup.
For Cameroon, however, the night belonged entirely to the Indomitable Lionesses.
Ngah’s first-half brace laid the foundation for the victory, and Eto’s goal added further punishment before half-time.
The 3-0 scoreline also placed the final among the biggest victories recorded in WAFCON history. Before the 2026 tournament, the largest winning margin in a WAFCON final was a five-goal victory, when Nigeria defeated Cameroon 5-0 in 2004. Equatorial Guinea also defeated South Africa 4-0 in the 2012 final.
For Malawi, the final result was a painful ending to an otherwise extraordinary tournament. The Scorchers may have fallen short of the trophy, but their historic appearance in the final has firmly announced them as an emerging force in African women’s football.
For Cameroon, there was no such disappointment.
The Indomitable Lionesses finished the night as African champions, three goals to nil, with their players celebrating a landmark achievement that will go down as one of the most important moments in the history of Cameroonian women’s football.
The 2026 WAFCON has therefore ended with a new champion, just as CAF predicted before the final. Cameroon have finally climbed to the top of the continent, while Malawi leave Morocco with their reputation significantly enhanced after an unforgettable debut campaign.