WAFCON 2026 Review: Glory for Cameroon, Nigeria Flop, and Malawi Cause a Stir
Quick summary
A retrospective of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, highlighting Cameroon's triumph, Nigeria's disappointing campaign, and Malawi's breakthrough tournament.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceMonique Ngock starred as Cameroon triumphed for the first time in a tournament of compelling surprises, even if crowd figures disappointed
Cameroon became only the fourth country to lift the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) title following Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, and only the third to have both a men’s and women’s continental champion, after a 3-0 win over Malawi in Rabat last weekend. The result was significant for several reasons, not least because it gave the competition a new winner after the former champions Nigeria and South Africa were eliminated in the quarter-finals to mark a changing of the guard in the African women’s game.
It is worth remembering that Cameroon did not directly qualify for this edition of the Wafcon and were only added when the tournament was expanded to 16 teams last November. That gave them the opportunity to compete, but almost no one would have picked them as champions based on reputation and results. Cameroon had not reached a Wafcon final in a decade and had never even scored a goal in the final, but had three before half-time against a Malawi side that seemed destined to complete a fairytale.
Continue reading...
Source attribution: this article content is based on the linked publisher feed/source. Chance adds independent soccer context, impact analysis, entity links, and related news.
What happened
The Guardian reviews the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, identifying the key storylines from the tournament. Cameroon emerged as champions in a notable upset, while perennial powerhouse Nigeria suffered a significant underperformance. Debutants or surprise package Malawi made waves with strong performances that exceeded expectations. The review reflects on standout moments, tactical trends, and what the results mean for women's football development across the African continent.
Chance analysis
Cameroon's WAFCON 2026 triumph marks a significant shift in the landscape of African women's football, breaking the recent dominance of established powers and signaling the depth of emerging talent on the continent. Nigeria's failure challenges the longstanding hierarchy and raises questions about the Super Falcons' development pathway ahead of future tournaments. Malawi's emergence as a disruptive force underscores the growing competitiveness of the tournament and the narrowing gap between traditional powerhouses and emerging nations. Collectively, these results point to a more open and unpredictable era for women's football in Africa.
Cameroon's profile as a rising African women's football power is elevated; Nigeria faces a reset cycle after underperformance; Malawi gains credibility as an emerging force in African women's football.