Cameroon end WAFCON drought with first title

Cameroon defeated Malawi 3-0 in the WAFCON final to win their first continental title, ending Nigeria’s decade-long dominance and becoming the fourth nation to lift the trophy.

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses on Sunday won their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title after defeating debutants Malawi 3-0 in the final in Rabat, Morocco. Cameroon produced a dominant first-half display at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, scoring all three goals before the break to secure the historic victory.

Marie Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute, heading Cameroon into the lead before Naomi Eto doubled the advantage nine minutes later. Manga then completed her brace in first-half stoppage time, giving the Indomitable Lionesses a commanding 3-0 lead going into the interval. Malawi, making their debut at the continental championship, attempted to fight back after the restart, with the Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, unable to break through Cameroon’s defence.

The victory ended Cameroon’s long wait for the WAFCON title after three previous defeats in the final. The Indomitable Lionesses had lost the 2004, 2014 and 2016 finals, all against Nigeria, before finally ending their run of disappointment in Morocco. Cameroon thus became the fourth nation to win the WAFCON, joining record champions Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. The triumph also made Cameroon only the third African country, after Nigeria and South Africa, to win both the men’s and women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles.

For Malawi, the defeat ended an extraordinary debut campaign which saw the Scorchers reach the final after eliminating some of the continent’s established teams. Malawi had earlier stunned defending champions Nigeria in the group stage before defeating Ghana and Algeria in the knockout rounds to reach their first-ever WAFCON final.

This echoes the 2016 WAFCON final, when Cameroon also faced Nigeria but lost. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a team finally breaking through after years of disappointment. For Nigeria, the defeat is a painful reminder of how far they have fallen. The Super Falcons, once the undisputed queens of African football, are now watching from the sidelines as Cameroon lifts the trophy.

The winners: Cameroon, who have won their first WAFCON title; and Malawi, who exceeded all expectations in their debut campaign. The losers: Nigeria, whose dominance has ended; and Morocco, who lost the third-place playoff.

Bottom Line: Cameroon have won their first WAFCON title. Nigeria’s era of dominance is over. The question is whether the Super Falcons can rebuild or whether a new order has emerged in African women’s football.