Cameroon and Malawi will meet in the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations today as both teams close in on a first major title.
The Indomitable Lioness beat hosts Morocco on penalties after 120 minutes without a breakthrough, while the latter saw off Algeria 3-1 to book their spot in a maiden final.
Malawi are the tournament debutants who quickly turned to competitors after their opening game, beating 10-time title winners Nigeria 3-2 before going on to top the group. Cameroon, meanwhile, are in familiar territory.
Quite incredibly, though, The Indomitable Lionesses 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.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s breakout star, Michaely Bihina is unfazed about the prospect of testing herself against the lethal Chawinga sisters when the Indomitable Lions face Malawi in today’s unexpected WAFCON final.
The 22-year-old Benfica stopper is enjoying a remarkable rise to prominence at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, as she single-handedly eliminated Nigeria in the quarterfinal before saving four penalties — three in the shootout — as Cameroon defeated hosts Morocco in Wednesday’s semifinal.
However, she’ll face perhaps the sternest match of her career in tomorrow’s final when she comes up against Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga and Tabitha Chwinga, who have nine goals between them this tournament.
“I’ve watched some of their games, but I’ve never seen the two sisters live,” Bihina confided to ESPN. “I’ll study them to see how they play, and I’ll try to do my best against Malawi.
“I like the big games. I like to play in the big games because I know I’ll make a lot of saves.
“I’ll always give my best in these games because when you play against the biggest teams, you have good players in front of you, so you have a lot of motivation.
It’s a personal challenge.”
Bihina blocked Fatima Tagnaout’s extra-time penalty in Wednesday’s cagey semifinal in Rabat, before denying Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq and Sakina Diki Ouzraoui in the shootout as Cameroon won 3-1 after a 0-0 draw.
Against Nigeria, in the quarter, she was even more impressive, making nine saves to send Cameroon past the Super Falcons 1-0.
The young keeper also kept a clean sheet against Ghana in the group stage, and has now gone over 360 minutes without being beaten at the Nations Cup.
Bihina saved three penalties in the shootout against WAFCON hosts Morocco in the semifinals. CAF
“This is motivation,” Bihina said of her run to date. “My teammates continue to motivate me. Every time they tell me: ‘you can do it, because you’re a good goalkeeper’.
“I try to be humble, I don’t want to show everything I can do, but they push me every time. It’s thanks to my teammates.
“This is a lot of work, because we’re playing against the best teams in Africa — Morocco, Nigeria — playing against them is always a challenge, but we try to give our best.”
While Malawi have scored 12 goals to date, Cameroon have scored just five, and may need to put up another defensive masterclass in today’s final in Rabat if they’re to win a first ever continental crown, having been defeated finalists on three previous occasions.