FACTBOX – WAFCON winners: Cameroon finally join Africa’s champions list after years of near misses

Dilara Hamit

• Indomitable Lionesses beat Malawi 3-0 to win their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title
• Cameroon became the fourth country to have won the WAFCON title, after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa
• Nigeria remain the competition’s dominant force with record 10 WAFCON crowns

Cameroon finally ended their long wait for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday, defeating Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat, Morocco.

The Indomitable Lionesses had reached the final several times before but repeatedly fell short, losing title matches in 1991, 2004, 2014 and 2016.

Marie Ngah Manga scored twice and 21-year-old midfielder Naomi Eto added another goal to seal Cameroon’s 3-0 win. Malawi, playing their first WAFCON final after a surprise run in their debut campaign, also qualified for their first Women’s World Cup.

Cameroon also picked up two major individual awards. Monique Ngock was named Woman of the Competition, while Michaely Bihina won Best Goalkeeper. Malawi forward Temwa Chawinga won the Golden Boot with five goals, and Algeria received the Fair Play Award.

Who won most WAFCON?

The 2026 tournament in Morocco was the 14th edition since the competition’s official launch in 1998. Earlier home-and-away continental finals were played in 1991 and 1995 before the tournament moved into a regular finals format.

Morocco hosted the tournament for a third consecutive edition, after also staging the 2022 and 2024 competitions.

Nigeria remain the most successful team in WAFCON history, with the Super Falcons having won a record 10 titles.

Before Cameroon’s triumph on Sunday, only three countries had won the official WAFCON title: Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

Equatorial Guinea won the competition twice, in 2008 and 2012, while South Africa won their first title in 2022.

The full list is as follows:

1991 – Nigeria beat Cameroon, home and away
1995 – Nigeria beat South Africa, home and away
1998 – Nigeria beat Ghana 2-0
2000 – Nigeria beat South Africa 2-0
2002 – Nigeria beat Ghana 2-0
2004 – Nigeria beat Cameroon 5-0
2006 – Nigeria beat Ghana 1-0
2008 – Equatorial Guinea beat South Africa 2-1
2010 – Nigeria beat Equatorial Guinea 4-2
2012 – Equatorial Guinea beat South Africa 4-0
2014 – Nigeria beat Cameroon 2-0
2016 – Nigeria beat Cameroon 1-0
2018 – Nigeria beat South Africa 0-0, 4-3 on penalties
2020 – Competition canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022 – South Africa beat Morocco 2-1
2024 – Nigeria beat Morocco 3-2
2026 – Cameroon beat Malawi 3-0