Debutants Malawi Battle Cameroon for First Cro

Debutants Malawi will battle Cameroon for a first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations crown when the two sides meet in Sunday’s final at the Prince Moulay Al Hassan Stadium in Rabat, kicking off at 8pm Nigerian time, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

World number 153 Malawi reached the final by beating Algeria 3-1, inspired by sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, while Cameroon overcame hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes in the last four. Both nations have already secured their places at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil by virtue of reaching the semi-finals.

Tabitha Chawinga, who plays for OL Lyonnes, opened the scoring against Algeria with an overhead effort from a corner in the 34th minute before adding a second in the 76th minute. Her sister, Temwa, who plays for KC Current, had earlier netted in first-half stoppage time to move level with Zambia’s Barbra Banda at the top of the WAFCON Golden Boot standings with five goals apiece.

The 30-year-old Tabitha and her sibling are expected to remain central to Malawi’s hopes of completing an unlikely triumph on their tournament debut.

Algeria had two players sent off during the semi-final, with fullback Morgane Belkhiter dismissed in the 22nd minute for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and Malawi midfielder Rose Kadzere later shown a straight red card before the interval. Algeria pulled a goal back through Ikram Adjabi in the 60th minute, but Malawi held on to seal their place in the final.

For Cameroon, 22-year-old goalkeeper Michaely Bihina has been central to their run to the final, having made nine saves and saved a penalty in the quarter-final victory over defending champions and hosts Nigeria, before making four saves in the penalty shoot-out win over Morocco in the last four. Bihina, who joined Portuguese side Benfica earlier this year, stopped efforts from Kenza Chappelle, Maryame Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui in the shoot-out, denying the Moroccan hosts a first continental title.

Coach Valentine Nguele praised his goalkeeper’s performance after the win over Morocco.

“As a former goalkeeper, you know that this is the moment, the ultimate moment, to lift your team to that level. And this young player possessed enormous, exceptional qualities. We knew full well that if we reached this stage, she would do something special. So, we can only encourage her, because she really delivered a stellar performance,” Nguele said.

19-year-old defender Myriam Nyadjou scored the winning goal in regulation time for Cameroon, whose run to the final is only their third appearance in the championship match and first since 2016.

Cameroon were not initially qualified for the tournament and were only admitted after the Confederation of African Football expanded the competition from 12 to 16 teams in November.

Sunday’s final will decide Africa’s newest women’s football champion, with either side set to claim a first WAFCON title in the modern era of the tournament.

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