Key stats: Cameroon and Malawi clash in historic 2026 WAFCON final
By Joel Masibo, August 16, 2026Cameroon and Malawi will face off in a landmark 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat on Sunday night, August 16, 2026, with both nations chasing their first continental title.
The final, scheduled for 9:00 pm local time and 8:00 pm GMT, promises to produce a new name on the WAFCON trophy. Neither side has previously won the competition, meaning the encounter will create a new chapter in the tournament’s history.
A new champion awaits
The 2026 final is only the third in WAFCON history where neither finalist has previously lifted the trophy. The other two occasions came in 1998, when Nigeria defeated Ghana, and 2022, when South Africa overcame hosts Morocco.
The winner will become only the fourth nation to claim the women’s continental crown, joining record 10-time champions Nigeria, two-time winners Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, who secured their first title in 2022.
For Malawi, the occasion is even more significant as they have reached the final at the first attempt.
Cameroon chasing redemption
Cameroon have reached the WAFCON final for the fourth time and will be appearing in the title match for the first time since 2016.
Their previous three finals all ended in defeat to Nigeria. The Indomitable Lionesses were beaten 5-0 in 2004, 2-0 in 2014 and 1-0 in 2016.
They have never scored in those three finals and have conceded eight goals in total.
This time, however, Cameroon have the opportunity to end that difficult history against a different opponent. It is the first time they will face a team other than Nigeria in a WAFCON final.
A victory would also give Cameroon a historic achievement: becoming only the third country after Nigeria and South Africa to win both the men’s and women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Strong defensive record gives Cameroon hope
Cameroon have taken a disciplined route to the final, conceding only twice throughout the tournament.
They have recorded three clean sheets and have remained unbeaten in the knockout phase, keeping successive clean sheets for the first time in WAFCON knockout matches.
Their semi-final victory over Morocco was particularly dramatic, as goalkeeper Michaely Bihina became the first Cameroon goalkeeper to save three penalties during a WAFCON shoot-out.
Bihina has also been crucial during the knockout rounds, making 12 saves across the two matches, including nine against Nigeria and three against Morocco.
Cameroon will therefore hope their defensive organisation can contain Malawi’s potent attacking threat.
Malawi make history on debut
Malawi have been one of the tournament’s biggest stories after reaching the final during their maiden WAFCON campaign.
The Scorchers are the first Southern African nation other than South Africa to reach the final and the first team from the region to do so on their debut.
They have also won four matches in open play, matching a rare achievement previously recorded by Nigeria during the inaugural 1998 tournament.
A victory would make Malawi only the second Southern African nation to win the competition, following South Africa’s triumph in 2022.
Chawinga sisters lead Malawi’s attack
Malawi’s impressive run has been driven largely by sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.
The pair have scored nine of Malawi’s 12 goals in the tournament, underlining their importance to the team’s attacking success.
Temwa Chawinga has five goals and two assists, giving her seven goal involvements, the highest figure recorded by any player at the tournament. Her five goals also put her level with Zambia’s Barbra Banda at the top of the scoring chart.
Tabitha added two goals in the semi-final against Algeria, taking her tournament tally to four.
Overall, Malawi have scored 12 goals, the highest total among all teams at the competition, although they have also conceded seven.
First-ever meeting
Sunday’s showdown will also mark the first WAFCON encounter between Cameroon and Malawi.
The final will be the third title match involving a Central African side and a Southern African opponent. The previous two meetings both ended in victories for Central African teams, with Equatorial Guinea defeating South Africa 2-1 in 2008 before recording a 4-0 triumph over the same opponents in 2012.
History therefore gives Cameroon an edge in this particular regional battle, although Malawi’s extraordinary campaign means past records may count for little.