Cameroon Ends Nigeria's WAFCON Title Defense

Nigeria/Cameroon: Wafcon 2026 - Cameroon End Nigeria's Title Defence, Seal World Cup Ticket Nigeria entered the quarter-final as the most successful team in WAFCON history and had dominated previous meetings with Cameroon. Cameroon have ended Nigeria's reign as African champions after defeating the Super Falcons 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Casablanca on Sunday. The Indomitable Lionesses secured a place in the semi-finals. They booked their ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil with a resilient performance that frustrated the defending champions throughout the contest. Nigeria entered the quarter-final as the most successful team in WAFCON history. It had dominated previous meetings with Cameroon, but the Lionesses produced a disciplined display to secure only their second victory over the Falcons at the tournament. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Cameroon took the lead in the 19th minute when 20-year-old Myriam Wamen unleashed a powerful long-range effort that flew into the top corner beyond the reach of Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie. The Falcons responded almost immediately, with captain Rasheedat Ajibade sending a dangerous cross into the box, but Gift Monday could not make clean contact with the ball. Nigeria continued to search for an equaliser and came close again in the 28th minute when Morinsola Babajide's delivery found Jennifer Echegini, whose effort was saved by Cameroon's goalkeeper Michaely Binha. The Lionesses maintained their organisation and went into the break with their narrow advantage intact. Nigeria increased the pressure after the restart, but found Binha in inspired form. The goalkeeper produced a crucial save in the 70th minute, stretching to keep out Ochenna Kanu's powerful header and preserve Cameroon's lead. Cameroon nearly doubled their advantage six minutes from full time when Achta Njoya's free-kick from a tight angle forced Nnadozie into action, with the Nigerian goalkeeper tipping the ball over the crossbar. The Falcons pushed forward in search of an equaliser but could not find a way through the Cameroonian defence. Substitute Ijeoma Okoronkwo came closest to forcing extra time when she beat her marker with her pace before sending a left-footed effort narrowly wide. Cameroon held on through the closing stages to secure a memorable victory and end Nigeria's bid for a second consecutive WAFCON title. The defeat also means Nigeria will not defend the trophy they won at the previous edition. For Cameroon, the victory marks a significant turnaround against their long-time rivals. Nigeria had won nine of the teams' previous 13 WAFCON meetings, with Cameroon recording only one victory before Sunday's quarter-final. Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. The result also guarantees that a new African champion will be crowned in Morocco. At the same time, Cameroon advances to the semi-finals and qualifies for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil. Read the original article on Premium Times. Wafcon 2026 - Five Things Learnt As Cameroon End Super Falcons' Title Defence Nigeria West Africa Sport Soccer Cameroon World Cup Central Africa AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us. AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Support our work Sign up for our newsletter For Advertisers Subscribe © 2026 AllAfrica Privacy Policy Contact Us About Us Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.