Cameroon were crowned champions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after defeating surprise finalists Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat on Sunday.
Marie Ngah scored twice, while Naomi Eto added the other goal as the Indomitable Lionesses claimed their first continental title after finishing runners-up three times.
Cameroon had initially failed to qualify for the tournament after losing home and away to Algeria in the final qualifying round. However, their fortunes changed after the organisers expanded the competition from 12 to 16 teams.
The four highest-ranked losing teams, led by Cameroon, were subsequently added to the tournament, which Morocco hosted for the third consecutive edition.
Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, suffered a disappointing end to their remarkable campaign. The Scorchers had reached the final after eliminating defending champions Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Algeria, with captain Tabitha Chawinga and her sister Temwa scoring nine goals between them.
Malawi started the final strongly, with the Chawinga sisters causing problems for the Cameroonian defence with their pace and power.
However, Cameroon took the lead in the 20th minute. A cross was headed by goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo onto the crossbar before Ngah reacted quickest to head the rebound into the net.
Eto doubled Cameroon’s advantage nine minutes later, controlling the ball with her back to goal before turning and firing into the corner.
Ngah added her second goal three minutes into first-half stoppage time, heading in a cross from Eto to give Cameroon a commanding 3-0 lead at the break.
Ngah came close to completing her hat-trick early in the second half but fired wide after taking the ball past Sikelo.
Malawi improved as the half progressed and limited Cameroon’s opportunities, while Temwa Chawinga narrowly missed with a low effort following a goalmouth scramble.
The victory marked a historic achievement for Cameroon, who had previously lost WAFCON finals to Nigeria in 2004, 2014 and 2016.
Among those watching the final were FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe and CAF first vice-president Fouzi Lekjaa.
Cameroon, Malawi, third-placed Algeria and hosts Morocco secured qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil by reaching the WAFCON semi-finals.
Africa could have as many as six representatives at the World Cup, with quarter-finalists South Africa and Ghana earning places in the inter-confederation play-offs.
