Golden gloves & golden glory: Cameroon crowned WAFCON champions

On Aug 17, 2026

The day after making football history, Cameroon is still celebrating a legendary night in Rabat. On Sunday, the Indomitable Lionesses finally broke their long curse by beating Malawi 3-0 at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium to win their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title.

After losing three previous finals in 2004,2014 and 2016 without scoring a single goal, Cameroon put on a masterclass in the first half to capture continental glory. They now join Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa as the only four nations ever to win the prestigious tournament.

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Cameroon, which entered the expanded 16-team tournament as a late addition, dominated from the opening whistle. Star forward Marie Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Ten minutes later, Naomi Ndjoah Eto doubled the lead after a great pass from Myriam Nyadjou. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ndjoah Eto turned provider, setting Ngah up for her second goal of the night to make it 3-0 before the break.

Malawi arrived at their first-ever WAFCON final as the tournament’s top-scoring team with 12 goals led by sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga. However, they could not break through Cameroon’s rock-solid defence. Despite making second-half tactical changes, the Scorchers could not find a way back into the game.

Cameroon’s historic victory was built on an astonishing defensive campaign. They did not concede a single goal throughout the entire knockout stage. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper and awarded the Golden Gloves. The 22-year-old made nine crucial saves against 10-time champions Nigeria in the quarter-finals and saved three penalties in the semi-final shootout against hosts Morocco, before securing her final clean sheet on Sunday.

While the defeat was heartbreaking for Malawi, their incredible journey to the final as debutants remains a historic milestone for South African football. But the day belongs to Cameroon. After two decades of near misses and heartbreak, the Indomitable Lionesses stand proudly today at the very top of African women’s football.

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