2026 Women’s AFCON: Show of Surprises

T he 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which officially kicked off on July 26, 2026, ended on August 16, 2026, with Cameroon clinching their first-ever trophy in the competition. Hosted in the ci­ ties of Casablanca and Rabat in Mo­ rocco, a tournament that had been somehow underestimated from the outset grew in popularity and visi­ bility thanks to the upsets, the qua­ lity of play, and the organisation in general. This time, a new champion was found in Cameroon. Before Came­ roon, only Nigeria, South Africa and Equatorial Guinea had savoured the trophy. Seeing a team that had been eliminated in the qualifiers but given a second chance to parti­ cipate following the tournament’s expansion go all the way captured attention across the continent, not just in Cameroon. Away from Cameroon, Malawi achieved the unbelievable, opening their campaign with a victory over Nigeria and advancing during their first-ever appearance. Ten-time champions Nigeria falling to Came­ roon in the quarterfinals and mis­ sing out on the World Cup was un­ thinkable from the start. Besides the trophy, World Cup spots were at stake. The semi-finalists; Came­ roon, Malawi, Algeria and host, Mo­ rocco: booked direct tickets to the 2027 World Cup, while Ghana and South Africa qualified as African re­ presentatives for the FIFA intercon­ tinental playoff qualifiers. These achievements were built on collective effort, but some ind...