Cameroon wins first WAFCON, Ngah Manga and Ngock star

Cameroon are officially continental champions for the first time ever. On Sunday, August 16, Cameroon beat Malawi 3–0 in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat, Morocco to win the tournament for the first time in program history. All three goals came in the first half. 

Cameroon’s three goals, remarkably, came in a span of about 24 total minutes. The first one, around 20 minutes in, was a header from Marie Ngah Manga which found the back of the net after Malawian goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo made an initial save off of a shot from Naomi Eto. The next goal came from Eto, who finished inside the right post just a few minutes later in the 29th. And to close out the first half, Ngah Manga again headed in her second of the night. The game went to halftime at 3-0 and would remain that way until the final whistle. (A last-minute would-be goal by Cameroon legend Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné was ultimately called back).

This WAFCON win was a first for Cameroon, though they’ve made it to the finals multiple times (and lost to Nigeria basically every time). And Cameroon didn’t even qualify for the previous WAFCON tournament, making this year’s run all the more impressive. In fact, they were only included in this edition because CAF decided to expand the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.

Where Cameroon really shone was in the knockout stage. After defeating Nigeria 1-0, the team with the most WAFCON championships in history, they bested Morocco 3-1 on penalties in the semifinals. Even more impressively, Cameroon conceded zero goals in regulation time across the entire knockout stage.

Runner-up Malawi’s journey through WAFCON 2026 was historic in its own right. This tournament saw Malawi’s first ever appearance — that’s right, they reached the finals in their debut. They were ranked a shocking 153 in the world entering this tournament. But they bested the odds, beating Ghana and Algeria in the knockout stages on their way to the finals. 

This run was largely fueled by the Chawinga sisters. Tabitha Chawinga, a forward for Lyon, scored twice against Algeria in the semifinals. Her sister Temwa Chawinga, a star in the National Women’s Soccer League for the Kansas City Current and a two-time NWSL MVP winner, scored five goals across the tournament. Temwa ultimately took home the Golden Boot for her five goals and two assists.

Malawi made waves from the group stage, defeating defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in their very first WAFCON match. 

Cameroon’s win on Sunday was largely due to a clutch performance from forward Ngah Manga. Her two goals in the final earned her the Player of the Final award. And Ngah Manga, like Temwa, finished the tournament with five goals (Temwa edged her out for the Golden Boot because of her assists). 

But the player of the tournament, ultimately, was Cameroon’s Monique Ngock. The midfielder wasn’t the headline scorer, but she was central to Cameroon’s on-field movement and overall tournament run, and she was recognized as the key playmaker and difference-maker. Ngock is set to join the Washington Spirit as they finish out the NWSL season.

The tournament also leaves fans with a major “changing of the guard” feeling. Traditionally, this tournament is dominated by Nigeria, with South Africa, Morocco and Cameroon usually making deep runs. But ultimately, after Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco were eliminated, the final was set to be played between two teams that had never won the tournament, and one that had never even played in the tournament. (Just as shocking: Nigeria’s loss to South Africa in a World Cup qualifying playoff game following their WAFCON exits means next summer will be the first time the Super Falcons won’t appear in the World Cup.)

And Cameroon finally broke through, but the tournament’s significance this year so clearly extends beyond just who was crowned the winner. In good news for Malawi (and Morocco and Algeria, too) the four semifinalists of this year’s tournament automatically qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Both Algeria and Malawi will be making their World Cup debuts, and if this tournament is any indication, these teams can give traditional women’s soccer powerhouses a real run for their money come next year. 

Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily

We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!

Related