from MOHAMED EL KADIRI in Rabat, Morocco
Morocco Bureau
RABAT, (CAJ News) – CAMEROON finally conquered Africa on Sunday, defeating Malawi 3–0 in a landmark TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
The victory delivered the Indomitable Lionesses their first WAFCON title after three previous final defeats to Nigeria in 2004, 2014 and 2016.
Cameroon settled the contest with a devastating first-half performance.
Marie Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute, before Naomi Ndjoah Eto doubled the advantage in the 30th minute after excellent work from Myriam Nyadjou.
Ngah completed her brace in first-half stoppage time, with Eto turning provider.
Ngah and Eto were the headline performers, but Cameroon’s triumph was built on collective excellence.
Nyadjou supplied the creativity, captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné provided leadership and experience, while goalkeeper Michaely Bihina had already played a crucial role earlier in the tournament, including penalty heroics against hosts Morocco.
Cameroon entered the final having conceded only twice and completed their knockout campaign without conceding.
For Malawi, reaching the final was itself extraordinary.
The Scorchers were appearing at their first WAFCON and became the first Southern African debutants to reach the final.
Much of their historic run was powered by sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga.
Temwa finished the tournament among the leading scorers, while Tabitha contributed four goals before the final.
Together, the sisters had scored nine of Malawi’s first 12 goals.
Young midfielder Faith Chinzimu and defender Rose Alufandika also made important contributions during the campaign.
The financial rewards underline the growing investment in African women’s football.
Cameroon’s champions will receive $2 million, while Malawi, as runners-up, will collect $750,000.
Third place is worth $550,000, and each of the 16 participating nations is guaranteed $150,000 in participation funding.
The overall prize pool has risen substantially from the previous edition.
The final also carried World Cup significance.
Both Cameroon and Malawi have qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil because all four WAFCON semi-finalists earn direct World Cup places.
Cameroon return to the global stage after appearing in 2015 and 2019, while Malawi will make their historic World Cup debut.
In Rabat, Cameroon did more than lift a trophy: they ended decades of disappointment, while Malawi announced themselves as a powerful new force in African women’s football.
– CAJ News