Women's Football News

The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will produce a new champion after four quarter-finals that changed the balance of the tournament.

Cameroon eliminated defending champions Nigeria, while Malawi extended their extraordinary debut by beating Ghana. Algeria overturned a first-half deficit against Côte d’Ivoire and hosts Morocco survived a late South African push.

Algeria and Malawi have qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. Morocco and Cameroon have also secured their places at Brazil 2027, with all four WAFCON semi-finalists receiving automatic qualification.

The tournament will resume on Wednesday, 12 August, when Algeria face Malawi before Morocco meet Cameroon.

WAFCON 2026 Quarter-Final Results

Match	Result	Goals
Côte d’Ivoire vs Algeria	1–2	Inès Konan; Inès Khiri, Amira Ould Braham
Morocco vs South Africa	2–1	Sakina Ouzraoui, Hanane Aït El Haj; Thembi Kgatlana
Cameroon vs Nigeria	1–0	Myriam Maéva Nyadjou
Malawi vs Ghana	2–1	Temwa Chawinga, Rose Kadzere; Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah

Algeria Turn Their Opportunity Into History

Côte d’Ivoire entered the quarter-finals as one of the tournament’s most productive attacking teams and initially looked ready to continue their run.

Inès Konan opened the scoring in the 30th minute, giving the Lady Elephants a deserved advantage against an Algeria team accustomed to building matches around defensive organisation.

The contest changed in the 42nd minute when Habibou Ouedraogo was sent off. Côte d’Ivoire had to protect their lead with ten players throughout the second half, while Farid Benstiti had the opportunity to reshape Algeria’s approach.

His substitutions delivered an immediate return. Inès Khiri came on at half-time and equalised in the 58th minute. Côte d’Ivoire were then presented with a rare opportunity to regain the lead, but Rebecca Elloh missed a penalty four minutes later. Algeria punished that failure almost immediately. Marine Dafeur released Amira Ould Braham, who completed the comeback in the 64th minute.

Côte d’Ivoire still produced five shots on target despite their numerical disadvantage, while Algeria registered six. The Fennecs needed discipline to survive the closing stages, but their willingness to attack after the break separated this performance from the defensive displays that carried them through the group.

Khiri was the transformative figure. Her introduction gave Algeria more urgency and her equaliser created the conditions for Ould Braham to deliver the most consequential goal in the country’s women’s football history.

Algeria are now WAFCON semi-finalists and Women’s World Cup qualifiers for the first time.

Morocco Find the Efficiency South Africa Lack

Morocco and South Africa each recorded only two shots on target, making the difference between them a matter of execution.

The hosts went ahead in the 31st minute when Sakina Ouzraoui converted with a first-time finish. Hanane Aït El Haj then scored from the penalty spot six minutes after the interval, giving Morocco a two-goal advantage from their limited opportunities.

South Africa had marginally more possession at 52 per cent and responded through Thembi Kgatlana in the 67th minute. Her powerful finish shifted the pressure onto Morocco and gave Banyana Banyana enough time to pursue an equaliser.

The closing period tested the hosts more severely than their previous group matches. South Africa pushed forward, but Morocco protected the central areas and prevented that pressure from becoming a succession of clear chances.

Ouzraoui’s contribution was decisive because it gave Morocco control before the match became increasingly uncomfortable. Her second goal of the tournament arrived when neither side had established a clear advantage. The 2-1 victory sends Morocco to another WAFCON semi-final and confirms their return to the World Cup. It also removes the team that defeated them in the 2022 continental final.

Cameroon End Nigeria’s Title Defence

Nigeria controlled 60 per cent of possession and produced nine shots on target to Cameroon’s three. None of those numbers could overturn Myriam Maéva Nyadjou’s intervention in the 19th minute.

The 20-year-old struck from distance, sending a powerful effort into the top corner beyond Chiamaka Nnadozie. It was the first WAFCON goal scored by a Cameroon player other than Marie Ngah Manga at this tournament, and it arrived in their biggest match.

Nigeria created enough opportunities to force a response. Jennifer Echegini was denied during the first half, while Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina produced a vital save from Uchenna Kanu’s header in the 70th minute. Esther Okoronkwo then went narrowly wide during Nigeria’s final push.

Cameroon’s performance was built on far more than retreating behind the ball. The Indomitable Lionesses remained compact, protected their penalty area and retained enough threat to prevent Nigeria from attacking without consequence. Achta Toko Njoya nearly added a second from a late free-kick, forcing Nnadozie into a sharp save.

Nyadjou supplied the defining goal, but Bihina’s goalkeeping ensured it survived. Together, they ended Nigeria’s reign and guaranteed that WAFCON will crown a first-time champion.

Nigeria arrived as the record ten-time winners. Cameroon will now enter the semi-finals as the only remaining team with extensive experience at this stage, although they have never lifted the trophy.

Malawi’s Historic Run Reaches the World Cup

Malawi began their first WAFCON by defeating Nigeria. Two weeks later, they completed their journey from tournament newcomers to World Cup qualifiers.

Ghana threatened to end the run almost immediately. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah scored after seven minutes, placing the experience of the Black Queens against Malawi’s ability to respond to adversity.

The lead lasted only five minutes. Temwa Chawinga equalised in the 12th minute and altered the direction of the contest. Ghana believed they had moved back in front after the interval, but Doris Boaduwaa’s goal was disallowed following a VAR review.

That decision preserved Malawi’s opportunity, and Rose Kadzere took it in the 79th minute. Kadzere found space inside the penalty area and finished calmly to send the Scorchers into the semi-finals. Ghana could not produce another equaliser despite holding 55 per cent of possession.

The shot statistics tell a more revealing story. Malawi placed seven efforts on target compared with Ghana’s two, demonstrating that the debutants were not simply surviving and waiting for inspiration from their most famous players.

The Chawinga sisters remain fundamental, but Malawi’s rise belongs to a broader generation. Kadzere and Faith Chinzimu were already prolific teammates at youth level before progressing into the senior team. Chinzimu scored the goals that secured Malawi’s first WAFCON qualification; Kadzere has now scored the one that sends them to their first World Cup.

Tabitha Chawinga and Temwa provide elite experience, but the players developing around them have turned Malawi from a dangerous outsider into a functioning tournament team. Kadzere’s winner was the culmination of that work rather than an isolated miracle.

Confirmed WAFCON 2026 Semi-Finals

Algeria vs Malawi

• Date: Wednesday, 12 August
• Kick-off: 19:00 CET
• Venue: Olympic Stadium, Rabat

Neither country has previously reached a WAFCON final.

Algeria have conceded only two goals in four matches and will attempt to control the spaces available to Malawi’s forwards. The Scorchers have scored nine goals and have repeatedly demonstrated that they can punish established teams in transition.

Algeria’s defensive structure meets the tournament’s most disruptive attack. The contrast makes this more than a meeting between two unexpected semi-finalists.

Morocco vs Cameroon

• Date: Wednesday, 12 August
• Kick-off: 22:00 CET
• Venue: Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Rabat

Morocco will have home support and greater possession-based control, but Cameroon have already shown how little they need to decide a knockout match.

The hosts have conceded only once at the tournament, while Cameroon remain unbeaten after three wins and a draw. Bihina’s form in goal and the scoring contributions of Manga and Nyadjou give the Indomitable Lionesses several routes through a close contest.

Morocco are attempting to reach a third consecutive WAFCON final. Cameroon are trying to return to the final for the first time since 2016.

Four Teams, One First-Time Champion

The semi-final lineup contains no former WAFCON winner. Nigeria’s elimination removed the defending and record champions. South Africa, the other previous champion involved in the quarter-finals, were knocked out by Morocco.

That leaves four teams chasing a first continental title:

• Cameroon, experienced at the latter stages but still seeking their first trophy
• Morocco, runners-up in the previous two editions
• Algeria, semi-finalists for the first time
• Malawi, reaching the last four on their tournament debut

Two of those teams will arrive in the final having already broken through a major historical barrier.

Malawi and Algeria entered the quarter-finals without ever qualifying for a Women’s World Cup. Both will now travel to Brazil in 2027, and one of them is guaranteed to contest the WAFCON final.

The established order has not merely been challenged in Morocco. It has been removed from the final four.

Source: CAF