Against all Odds: Malawi's and Cameroon's Way to the WAFCON 2026 Final
Even before the semi-finals kicked off on Wednesday, one thing was certain; there is going to be a first-time WAFCON winner this year!
With the reigning champions and record winners Nigeria shockingly eliminated in the quarter-finals, and hosts Morocco losing unexpectedly in the semi-finals, the final will be between Cameroon, one of the most solid defences of the tournament, and Malawi's seemingly unstoppable attack.
But what exactly is WAFCON?
WAFCON stands for the Women's African Cup of Nations, the international championship for women's national football teams in Africa. Organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), it brings together a selection of the continent's national teams every two years.
The competition began in 1991 as a home-and-away qualifying tournament for the Women's World Cup. The first full tournament took place in 1998, when it was officially introduced as the Africa Women's Cup of Nations. In 2015, the name was changed to the Women's African Cup of Nations.
Up until now, Nigeria have completely dominated the competition. They’ve won ten of the 13 editions, with Equatorial Guinea winning twice and South Africa once.
The competition has also changed considerably over the years. Until 2018, eight teams competed, split into two groups, with the two best teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. In 2022, the tournament expanded to include 12 teams, establishing a third group and seeing the two best third-placed teams advance to the newly added quarter-finals alongside the top two teams of each group.
WAFCON also doubles as Africa's qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup. This year's four semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup, while two more teams will have the chance to qualify through inter-confederation play-offs. Therefore, up to six African nations could make it to the World Cup next year, with four spots already secured - a big improvement on the two qualification spots the federation was granted since 1998, plus two additional playoff spots from 2016 onward, a great opportunity to showcase the joys of African football.
Participants of WAFCON have to earn their start in the tournament through play-offs, with the appointed host nation and defending champions qualifying automatically.
The 2022 edition broke the tournament's attendance record, with 45,562 spectators watching Morocco beat Nigeria in the semi-final at home at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
The 2026 Competition
This year marks the 14th edition of the tournament, which is being held in Morocco for the third consecutive edition. Matches took place in Casablanca, Fez and Rabat.
It certainly has been quite the journey to get here. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from 17 March to 3 April, but CAF postponed it only 12 days before it was due to start. This wasn't the only recent delay either; the 2024 edition was postponed to 2025, while the 2016 tournament was delayed by several weeks. There was even uncertainty over Morocco's hosting status before CAF eventually confirmed that the country would remain the host.The tournament has also grown from 12 to 16 teams this year, with the expansion being announced only after qualification play-offs had already finished. There are two debutants this year, Cape Verde and Malawi and as finalists, Malawi have certainly made the most of their opportunity.
Money, Money, Money
This year's tournament comes with increased prize money. CAF announced a significant increase, with the overall prize pool rising from $3.475 million to $5.8 million. The winners will receive $2 million, twice as much as two years ago, while the runners-up will receive $750,000. Every participating team is guaranteed $150,000.
The Tournament so far?
On the pitch, the group stage has already produced a few surprises, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage.
After opening the tournament on 26 July, Morocco topped Group A ahead of Algeria. Côte d'Ivoire won Group B, with South Africa in second place. Meanwhile, Group C produced one of the strangest situations the tournament has ever seen. Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia all finished with six points. Unlike at many major tournaments - such as the Euros and the World Cup - goal difference is not the first tiebreaker at WAFCON; head-to-head results between the teams in the running come first. This meant that Malawi finished top, Nigeria second, and Zambia were shockingly eliminated despite having scored the most goals. Cameroon won Group D, with Ghana just behind.
Then came the quarter-finals. Against all expectations, Nigeria - ranked 36th in the world and therefore the highest-ranked African team, reigning and record WAFCON champions, were beaten 1-0 by Cameroon. This marks Nigeria's earliest ever exit from the competition, while guaranteeing Cameroon a place at their third World Cup. Meanwhile, Algeria beat Côte d'Ivoire 2-1 in a close game, earning an exciting young Algerian team their first-ever World Cup qualification. Malawi continued their extraordinary run as debutants with a 2-1 quarter-final victory against Ghana, also booking their spot at their first World Cup. Hosts Morocco defeated the 2022 WAFCON champions South Africa 2-1.
The semi-finals then produced the two shock finalists. Malawi beat Algeria 3-1, while Cameroon knocked out hosts Morocco in an extraordinary penalty shootout. Suddenly, we're looking at a completely unexpected final, with one of these teams set to lift the WAFCON trophy for the first time in history.
Malawi - the Scorchers
Malawi entered the tournament as the lowest-ranked team, coming in at 153rd in the world. They had never even played in the tournament before, yet now The Scorchers are in the final.
They opened their campaign with perhaps the biggest shock of the group stage; defeating Nigeria 3–2 in the opening game. Since then, the Scorchers have shown one of the most dangerous attacking games in the competition. After beating Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals, they won their semi-final against Algeria 3-1.
The biggest names on this team are undoubtedly the Chaŵinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa.
Tabitha who plays for Lyon, has scored four goals in her five WAFCON appearances this year and has been named Player of the Match once. During the 2025/26 season, she made 26 appearances for Lyon across all competitions, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists.
Her sister Temwa has been just as impressive. The Kansas City Current forward has scored five goals in five games at this WAFCON and has already won two Player of the Match awards. She has also scored nine goals and provided two assists in twelve appearances for the Current this season. This is all the more impressive considering that the NWSL season is still ongoing and she has had to miss games because of this international competition. With their nine goals in five games, the Chaŵinga sisters are one of the most dangerous attacking duos on the continent, and possibly even in the world. For Malawi, this is already a historic tournament, their first time on this big stage and they qualified for their first World Cup whilst doing it.
Now they have a chance to win their first major international trophy.
Cameroon - the Lionesses
Cameroon's path to the final is equally surprising, albeit for completely different reasons. They weren't even supposed to compete in this tournament.
Cameroon had lost the qualification play-offs before CAF announced in November 2025 that they would be expanding the competition from 12 to 16 teams. Since the qualifying process had already finished, CAF decided to give the additional four spots to the highest-ranked teams - according to the FIFA-ranking - that had failed to qualify. Cameroon were the highest-ranked of those teams, sitting 71st in the world, among the unsuccessful qualifiers and were therefore given a place. It seems that they intend to prove that giving them this opportunity was the right choice. The Lionesses' strength lies in their extraordinary defence. They conceded very few goals throughout the tournament and then produced arguably the biggest result of the competition by eliminating Nigeria in the quarter-finals. Having reached the World Cup in 2015 and 2019, Cameroon will therefore return to the global stage in Brazil next year for their third World Cup.
Then, after the quarter-finals came Morocco. After 120 minutes, the semi-final was still level. In the 118th minute, Cameroon's goalkeeper Michaely Bihina made a crucial penalty save. She then went on to save three more penalties in the shootout, sending Cameroon to the final.
Bihina's tournament has been remarkable in general.
The 22-year-old made her international debut in 2021 and was named goalkeeper of the season in Portugal's Liga BPI in 2023/24. She joined Benfica in February 2026, but has only played 18 minutes for the club so far. For Cameroon, however, she has been everything they needed.
She made nine crucial saves against Nigeria in the quarter-final and has been named Player of the Match twice during this tournament - against Nigeria and Morocco - two of the continent's best. Sunday's final will be a familiar occasion for Cameroon, as it will be their fourth WAFCON final. They were runners-up in 2004, 2014 and 2016, losing all three finals to Nigeria. This time, however, they’ve conquered Nigeria already, and the only thing standing between them and their long-awaited first championship is Malawi.
Why is WAFCON more than 'just football'?
One of the things that makes African football so special is the sense of pride and identity that each national team embodies. International football always means representing your country, but at WAFCON, this feeling often seems especially visible. Football is more than just ninety minutes on the pitch. Supporters and teams themselves often arrive at stadiums singing, dancing and playing drums, turning matches into colourful celebrations long before kick-off.
This pride is also evident on the pitch. The walkouts before matches are often full of emotion, and the national anthems are sung with incredible passion by players and fans alike.
Even for neutral fans, those moments can be special to watch because they show how much representing a country means to players and supporters alike. WAFCON in particular has shown the growing importance of women's football across the continent. Record attendances, growing television audiences and emotional support for the teams have turned the tournament into a celebration of culture, identity and national pride.
How to watch the final
Earlier this tournament, there was some confusion about the tournament's UK broadcast rights, but there is good news for British fans; Channel 4 will show the WAFCON final on E4 on Sunday!
In Germany, the final will be available to watch for free on DAZN. Other major broadcasters around the world include beIN SPORTS and AfroSport TV.
So on Sunday, it's Malawi's unstoppable attack against Cameroon's seemingly unbreakable defence. One team is playing in its first ever WAFCON, the other is entering its fourth final after getting into the tournament by fortunate circumstances.
Whatever happens, African women's football is guaranteed a brand-new champion.