Cameroon's Indomitable Lionesses claimed their first Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) crown on Sunday, defeating debut finalists Malawi 3-0 in the final held at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. Marie Ngah Manga scored twice and Naomi Eto once, with all three goals coming in a dominant first half that put the result beyond doubt early.

Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 21st minute, heading in the rebound after Eto had forced a save from Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo, with the ball deflecting off the crossbar. Eto added a brilliant second eight minutes later, turning sharply with her back to goal to curl the ball inside the right post. Three minutes into first-half stoppage time, Ngah Manga headed in a cross from Eto to complete her brace and bring her tournament tally to five goals. A fourth Cameroon goal, from captain Gabrielle Onguene, was ruled out by VAR for offside in the 94th minute.

The victory was particularly sweet for Cameroon, who had previously lost three WAFCON finals — in 2004, 2014 and 2016 — each time to Nigeria, Africa's dominant force in women's football with ten titles. The Indomitable Lionesses had not even been certain of competing in this edition; they failed to qualify after losing home and away to Algeria, but were reinstated when organisers expanded the field from 12 to 16 teams, admitting the four highest-ranked unsuccessful qualifiers. Cameroon become only the fourth nation to win the title, after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, and only the third country — alongside Nigeria and South Africa — to have won both the men's and women's continental titles.

For Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa ranked 153rd in the world, the final nonetheless represented a historic achievement. The team, known as the Scorchers, had eliminated defending champions Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Algeria on their way to the decider. Much of their momentum came from captain Tabitha Chawinga and her sister Temwa, who together accounted for nine of Malawi's 12 goals in the tournament. In the final, Malawi pressed hard in the second half — Tabitha felt she was denied a penalty, a decision upheld by VAR — but could not find a way through.

The tournament, hosted by Morocco for the third consecutive time, was attended by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, currently facing significant pressure over a controversial and since-abandoned proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors, alongside CAF president Patrice Motsepe. Samuel Eto'o, the Cameroonian football legend now serving as president of the Cameroon Football Federation, celebrated visibly in the stands. The four semi-finalists — Cameroon, Malawi, Algeria and host Morocco — have all secured places at the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil, with South Africa and Ghana also retaining hopes of qualification through intercontinental play-offs.