Cameroon capped a remarkable turnaround by lifting the Women's Africa Cup of Nations trophy for the first time, thrashing debutants Malawi 3-0 in Sunday's final in Morocco to become only the fourth nation to win the continental title, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
The achievement was all the more striking given Cameroon had originally failed to qualify for the tournament, only earning a place after Caf's decision to expand the competition to 16 teams based on world rankings. That same expansion also benefited Ivory Coast, who topped their group before falling to Algeria in the quarter-finals.
The enlarged format is widely seen as a success, producing 90 goals across 32 matches for an average of 2.81 per game, up from 2.54 in the 2024 edition. All four semi-finalists — Cameroon, Morocco, Algeria and Malawi — secured qualification for the 2027 Women's World Cup, with Algeria and Malawi set to make their maiden appearances at the global tournament.
Malawi's run to the final was one of the standout stories of the competition. The Scorchers, ranked 153rd in the world before the tournament, stunned ten-time champions Nigeria 3-2 in their opening match before beating Ghana and Algeria en route to the showpiece. Much of their attacking threat came from the Chawinga sisters, with Temwa Chawinga finishing as the tournament's top scorer with five goals and two assists, edging out Cameroon's Marie Ngah Manga and Zambia's Barbra Banda.
The tournament also produced several shocks, including Tanzania's group-stage win over South Africa despite a 65-place gap in the world rankings, while hosts Morocco needed a stoppage-time equaliser to avoid defeat by Ivory Coast. Zambia missed out on the knockout rounds despite collecting six points, and Mali were eliminated on goal difference. Cape Verde, Egypt and Kenya were the only sides to go without a win, with Kenya failing to score a single goal.
Cameroon's success was built under head coach Valentine Nguele, who became the fifth woman to guide a team to the Wafcon title, having only taken charge in June. Speaking to the BBC World Service, technical co-ordinator Dimitri Lipoff described the intensity of preparations, saying: