Cameroon Win First WAFCON Title With Dominant 3-0 Victory Over Malawi

Cameroon have won the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time after a commanding 3-0 victory over Malawi in Sunday’s final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

Marie Ngah scored twice, with Naomi Ndjoah Eto also finding the net, as the Indomitable Lionesses produced a clinical first-half performance to end a long wait for continental glory.

Cameroon settle the final before half-time

Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute to give Cameroon control of a final between two countries seeking their first WAFCON title.

Ten minutes later, Myriam Nyadjou created the opening for Ndjoah Eto to double Cameroon’s advantage. Ngah then struck again three minutes into first-half stoppage time, this time from an assist by Ndjoah Eto, to send Cameroon into the interval 3-0 ahead.

Malawi entered the final as the tournament’s leading scorers with 12 goals, but Cameroon’s defence prevented the Scorchers from finding a route back into the contest. The Indomitable Lionesses managed their three-goal advantage through the second half and completed the final without conceding.

Three previous final defeats finally put behind them

The triumph ends a painful sequence for Cameroon, who had previously reached the WAFCON final three times and lost to Nigeria in 2004, 2014 and 2016.

Cameroon are now the fourth nation to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

The title is particularly notable because Cameroon had not originally qualified for the tournament and entered following the expansion of the competition to 16 teams. They went on to defeat 10-time champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals and hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties after a goalless semi-final before overcoming Malawi in the decider.

Cameroon did not concede a goal throughout the knockout rounds.

Historic campaign for Malawi despite final defeat

For Malawi, defeat brought an end to a remarkable debut WAFCON campaign. The Scorchers became the first Southern African debutants to reach the final and had already secured a first-ever place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 during their run through the tournament.

Malawi defeated Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals and Algeria 3-1 in the semi-finals, with sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga playing leading roles in one of the competition’s standout campaigns.

But the final belonged to Cameroon. After more than two decades of near misses at the continental decider, the Indomitable Lionesses finally reached the summit of African women’s football.

Source: CAF – Ngah brace fires Cameroon to historic first WAFCON crown with dominant Malawi victory.