Cameroon claimed a historic Women's Africa Cup of Nations title with a commanding 3-0 victory over debutants Malawi in the final in Rabat, becoming only the fourth nation to win the continental crown after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. The triumph also made Cameroon just the third country to hold both men's and women's African championships simultaneously.
The achievement carries extra weight given Cameroon's unlikely path to the trophy. The Indomitable Lionesses only secured a place in this year's expanded 16-team tournament after being added last November, having failed to qualify directly. They had not featured in a Wafcon final for ten years and had never previously found the net in a title match. That drought ended emphatically, with Cameroon racing to a three-goal cushion before half-time against a Malawi side that had captured hearts throughout the tournament.
Malawi's run to the final, as first-time participants and the lowest-ranked side in the competition at 153rd in the world, was one of the tournament's defining stories. Their achievement also secured Malawi's maiden World Cup berth, joining Cameroon, host nation Morocco and Algeria—the latter two qualifying for the global tournament for the first time—at next year's finals in Brazil.
Cameroon's success was masterminded by Valentine Nguele, appointed as the country's first female head coach only two months before the tournament began. A former national team goalkeeper with a Caf A coaching license, Nguele previously worked as part of the coaching staff at Louves Minproff during a period when the club won five domestic titles, and later assisted FC Ebolowa to back-to-back championships.