Nobody predicted this final.
Not before the tournament. Not even halfway through the group stage.
Cameroon versus Malawi. The Indomitable Lionesses against the Scorchers. Two teams that arrived in Morocco with very different expectations, yet somehow fought their way through a tournament that eliminated some of Africa’s biggest names.
And now, here we are.
Sunday, August 16. The WAFCON 2026 final. One match away from history.
Neither Cameroon nor Malawi has ever lifted the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy. By the end of the night, that will change.
Nigeria are not here. The defending champions were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Morocco are not here. South Africa are not here either. The teams many expected to dominate the tournament have fallen, leaving two unlikely finalists to fight for the biggest prize in African women’s football.
For Malawi, the occasion is already historic. The Scorchers are appearing in their first-ever WAFCON final, having gone from tournament debutants to title contenders in one extraordinary campaign.
Cameroon, meanwhile, have been here before. The Indomitable Lionesses have reached the final twice, in 2014 and 2016, but lost on both occasions. They now have another opportunity to finally lift the trophy.
So this is more than a final.
It is Cameroon’s chance to end years of near-misses.
It is Malawi’s chance to complete the greatest story of the tournament.
And it is a chance for Africa to crown a new WAFCON champion.
CAF’s official schedule places the final on Sunday, August 16, at 20:00, with the venue listed in Rabat.
One night. Two teams. One trophy. One of them will make history.
You may also read:
- The Goalkeeper Who Ended Nigeria’s Dream Now Breaks Morocco’s Heart: Cameroon Reach the WAFCON 2026 Final
- Ranked 153rd in the World, Now in the WAFCON Final: How Malawi Dismantled Algeria 3-1 and Changed African Women’s Football Forever
- 35 Years Over: Nigeria Miss the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the First Time Ever After 2-1 Defeat to South Africa
- Cameroon 1-0 Ghana WAFCON 2026: Manga Penalty, VAR Drama and Bihina Heroics Send Indomitable Lionesses to the Quarter-Finals
MATCH DETAILS
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | TotalEnergies WAFCON 2026 Final |
| Date | Sunday, August 16, 2026 |
| Venue | Moulay El Hassan Stadium (Olympic Stadium), Rabat, Morocco |
| Kick-off (WAT) | 21:00 WAT (9pm Nigeria time) / 20:00 GMT |
| How to watch | SuperSport. Canal+. CAF TV. Selected free-to-air networks |
| UK viewers | Channel 4’s E4 channel. Live coverage |
| Winner prize money | USD 2,000,000 |
| Runner-up prize money | USD 750,000 |
| Cameroon’s route to final | QF: Beat Nigeria 1-0. SF: Beat Morocco 0-0 (3-1 pens). UNBEATEN all tournament |
| Malawi’s route to final | QF: Beat Ghana 2-1. SF: Beat Algeria 3-1. Debut WAFCON tournament |
| Cameroon previous finals | Fourth WAFCON final. Lost all three previous finals (1986, 2008, 2016) |
| Malawi previous finals | First ever WAFCON final. First ever WAFCON tournament |
| Historic significance | Only third WAFCON final in history where neither team has won the title before |
| The Nigeria connection | Malawi beat Nigeria 3-2 (Group C MD1). Cameroon beat Nigeria 1-0 (QF). Both finalists eliminated the Super Falcons |
HOW BOTH TEAMS GOT HERE
Cameroon: The Team That Was Not Supposed to Be Here
Quite incredibly, Cameroon were not originally supposed to be here. They had failed to qualify in what was originally a 12-team tournament, but with the expansion and inclusion of a further four teams came a second chance — one which now has them on the brink of an historic first title.
Think about that. If WAFCON 2026 had remained a 12-team tournament, Cameroon would not be in Rabat tonight. They benefitted from the expansion to 16 teams. They took that second chance and converted it into something nobody anticipated.
Under Valentine Nguene, a coach who had been in charge for less than three months before this tournament began, Cameroon went through the entire group stage unbeaten. They topped Group D with seven points. They eliminated the defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-final with Michaely Bihina making save after save to deny the Super Falcons. They beat hosts Morocco on penalties in the semi-final with Bihina saving four penalties across extra time and the shootout.
Nguene has not lost a single match as Cameroon coach. His team is unbeaten in this tournament. And tonight they play in the WAFCON final for the first time since 2016.
Malawi: The Fairytale That Refuses to End
Malawi will go into the final on the back of four wins and one loss — their 2-1 defeat to Zambia in the final group game, while Cameroon remain unbeaten, posting three wins and one draw.
Malawi’s story has been told across every sports page in Africa across the past three weeks. But it still does not get old. They are ranked 153rd in the world. They had never played in a WAFCON before July 26. They beat Nigeria 3-2 on matchday one. They topped Group C despite all three teams finishing on six points. They beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-final. They beat Algeria 3-1 in the semi-final with Tabitha Chawinga scoring an overhead kick and Temwa Chawinga rounding the goalkeeper.
Coach Lovemore Fazili has taken this squad, these players, this nation, and built a tournament campaign that football coaches across Africa will study for years.
Tonight is the end of the journey. Or the beginning of something even bigger.
THE CHAWINGA SISTERS: MALAWI’S TWIN ENGINES
Two players have been the beating heart of Malawi’s emphatic journey to the final. Sibling duo Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are the players to watch going into the final.
Temwa Chawinga plays for Kansas City in the United States. Five tournament goals. The highest scorer in Malawi’s WAFCON 2026 campaign. She scored twice against Nigeria in the opening match. She rounded the Algeria goalkeeper in the semi-final. She has been the most direct, most devastating forward in this tournament when her team needed goals.
Tabitha Chawinga plays for Lyon in France’s top women’s league. Four tournament goals including the overhead kick against Algeria that may be the goal of the entire tournament. She is the captain. She leads by example. And she scores in the moments that matter most.
Together they have scored nine of Malawi’s goals at WAFCON 2026. If Cameroon cannot contain both of them simultaneously, Malawi will score tonight.
THE BIHINA FACTOR
Three saved spot-kicks by the Benfica goalie made her their hero, and now they will need her to be the crucial shot-stopper once again, especially with the attacking talent she will have taking efforts at goal.
Michaely Bihina is 22 years old. She has been the player of this entire WAFCON tournament. Multiple saves against Nigeria. Multiple saves against Morocco. Four penalties saved in one evening in the semi-final. Zero goals conceded from open play across the quarter-final and semi-final combined.
She will face Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga tonight. Two of the most dangerous attacking players in African women’s football. The match-up between Bihina and the Chawinga sisters is the central tactical battle of the WAFCON 2026 final.
If Bihina is at her best Cameroon win. If the Chawingas find a way through, Malawi win. It is that simple and that complex at the same time.
CAMEROON’S KEY THREAT: MYRIAM NYADJOU
She was 19 years old when she scored the free kick that eliminated Nigeria in the quarter-final. She converted the decisive penalty in the semi-final shootout against Morocco. She is Cameroon’s most impactful young player at this tournament and the one Malawi’s defence must account for from the first whistle.
Nyadjou does not need many opportunities to be decisive. Against Nigeria she needed one set piece. Against Morocco she needed one penalty. Give her space in dangerous positions tonight and she will punish Malawi as she has punished every team at this tournament.
Marie Ngah Manga, Cameroon’s top scorer in the group stage, is also a threat who must not be forgotten. She scored in the semi-final shootout and was dangerous throughout the tournament before the knockout rounds.
HEAD TO HEAD AND TOURNAMENT STATS
| Stat | Cameroon | Malawi |
|---|---|---|
| WAFCON record | W3 D1 L0 | W4 L1 |
| Goals scored | 5 | 12 |
| Goals conceded | 1 | 7 |
| Top scorer | Nyadjou (2) | Temwa Chawinga (5) |
| World ranking | TBC | 153rd |
| WAFCON appearances | Multiple (11 SF appearances) | DEBUT (first ever) |
| Previous WAFCON finals | 3 (1986, 2008, 2016) — all lost | 0 |
| Coach | Valentine Nguene (3 months in charge) | Lovemore Fazili |
| Notable victim | Nigeria (QF 1-0). Morocco (SF pens) | Nigeria (Group 3-2). Ghana (QF 2-1). Algeria (SF 3-1) |
THE NIGERIA ANGLE
Every Nigerian football fan watching tonight has a complicated relationship with this final.
Both teams eliminated Nigeria. Malawi beat the Super Falcons 3-2 on July 28 in the shock result that began Nigeria’s worst ever WAFCON campaign. Cameroon beat Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-final through Nyadjou’s free kick and Bihina’s heroics.
Nigeria are not in Brazil 2027. Their 35-year Women’s World Cup record is over. The NFF has set up a panel to investigate the campaign. Justin Madugu’s future as coach is under serious scrutiny.
All of that pain belongs to Nigerian football. And tonight two of the teams responsible for it play each other for the trophy Nigeria came to Morocco to defend.
Who do Nigerian fans support tonight? That is the most contested question in Nigerian football WhatsApp groups right now. The honest answer is: whichever decision you make, the result tonight does not change Nigeria’s situation. The conversation about rebuilding must happen regardless of who wins in Rabat.
KEY BATTLES
| Key Battle | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Bihina vs Chawinga sisters | The central battle of the final. The goalkeeper who has saved everything vs the two sisters who have scored everything. One must win this duel |
| Nyadjou vs Malawi defence | The 19-year-old has scored or converted in every decisive Cameroon moment. Malawi must not give her free kicks in dangerous areas |
| Malawi mentality vs Cameroon experience | Cameroon have been in three finals before. Malawi have never been in one. The pressure of the biggest stage could affect either team differently |
| Malawi’s set pieces vs Cameroon defensive block | Tabitha Chawinga’s aerial quality from corners and free kicks is Malawi’s most dangerous weapon. Cameroon must defend set pieces with the same discipline they showed against Nigeria and Morocco |
| Nguene vs Fazili | Two of the most impressive coaching performances of WAFCON 2026. The coach who has been in charge three months against the coach who built the greatest debutant campaign in tournament history |
WHAT THE HISTORY BOOKS SAY
Cameroon have painful final memories. They have appeared in three previous WAFCON finals, in 1986, 2008 and 2016, and lost all three. Tonight is the fourth attempt. Three-time finalists who have never won the trophy know what it feels like to be this close and still walk away empty-handed. That pain drives them. It also carries weight.
Malawi have no final memories because they have never been here before. That cuts both ways. There is no previous final heartbreak to overcome. But there is also no experience of what a WAFCON final evening feels like, the pressure, the occasion, the weight of an entire nation watching and believing.
The winner of the 16-member tournament will walk away with USD 2 million in prize money, with USD 750,000 reserved for the runner-up.
Two million dollars. A new African women’s champion. History written permanently regardless of which team wins tonight.
KAKAKINEWS PREDICTION
This is the hardest match of the tournament to predict and the one that matters the most.
Cameroon are unbeaten. Their defensive record is the best of any team in the knockout stages. Bihina is the goalkeeper of the tournament. Nguene’s tactical discipline has not been broken by any opponent.
But Malawi scored three against Algeria in the semi-final. They have won four of five matches at this tournament. The Chawinga sisters have a combined nine goals. And they have never lost when it truly mattered at this tournament.
KakakiNews prediction: Cameroon 1-0 Malawi. Bihina makes the saves that matter. Nyadjou or Manga finds the only goal. Cameroon’s experience in final football and their defensive solidity proves the difference in the end.
But this prediction could easily be wrong. Malawi have made every prediction at this tournament look foolish. They might make this one look foolish too.
21:00 WAT. Rabat. History tonight either way. 🏆⚽
Follow KakakiNews for the full match review of the WAFCON 2026 final immediately after the final whistle tonight.
Who do you think wins the WAFCON 2026 final tonight? Cameroon or Malawi? Drop your prediction in the comments now. This is history in the making.
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EDITORIAL CREDIT
This preview was prepared by the KakakiNews Sports Editorial Team using verified data from CAFOnline, BellaNaija, beIN Sports, Pan Africa Football, Olympics.com, Women’s Football Talk and Flashscore. All tactical analysis, key battle assessments and editorial commentary are original KakakiNews content.
