After Three Final Defeats, Cameroon Are WAFCON Champions 

Cameroon had reached the WAFCON final three times before Sunday, losing each one.

On August 16, the Indomitable Lionesses beat Malawi 3–0 in Rabat to win theWomen's Africa Cup of Nations for the first time. Marie Ngah scored twice and Naomi Ndjoah Eto added the other goal, with all three coming before half-time.

Cameroon had already knocked out defending champions Nigeria and hosts Morocco on their way to the final.

Cameroon Finally Got Past the Last Step

Cameroon's previous final defeats came in 2004, 2014 and 2016, all against Nigeria. In 2016, they also had home advantage before Desire Oparanozie scored Nigeria's late winner. Cameroon did not score in any of those three finals.

Ngah opened the scoring, Eto made it 2–0 ten minutes later, and Ngah struck again in first-half stoppage time. Malawi had scored 12 goals before the final, more than any other team in the tournament, but they could not find a way back after falling three goals behind.

Cameroon beat Nigeria 1–0 in the quarter-finals and then held Morocco to a goalless draw before winning the semi-final 3–1 on penalties. They completed the entire knockout stage without conceding a goal from open play, and by half-time in the final, the result was effectively settled.

Malawi Reached the Final on Their First Attempt

This was their first WAFCON appearance. THIS hey beat defending champions Nigeria in the group stage, then Ghana in the quarter-finals and Algeria 3–1 in the semi-final.

Tabitha Chawinga scored twice against Algeria, while her sister Temwa added the third to send Malawi into their first continental final, the two sisters combining for all three goals that got them there.

Reaching the semi-finals also secured Malawi's place at the 2027 Women's World Cup, regardless of how the final went.

A New Name at the Top of WAFCON

Cameroon are now the fourth country to win the women's African title, joining Nigeria, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea.

Nigeria remains the competition's dominant force by some distance, but Sunday's final adds a name to a list that has barely moved in over two decades.