The two semi finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Morocco, were played this Wednesday at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium and the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. Malawi pulled off the shock of the tournament by knocking out Algeria, while Cameroon eliminated the host nation on penalties after a tense, goalless battle. The final will now pit Malawi against Cameroon, a matchup almost nobody saw coming when the competition kicked off.
Malawi beat Algeria 3 1 in a clash between the two surprise packages of the final four. Striker Tabitha Chawinga was the star of the night, scoring a hat trick in the 33rd, 45th plus one and 76th minutes to send her side into their first ever AFCON final, just days after playing in their first ever appearance at the tournament. The match turned in the 25th minute when Algeria’s Belkhiter was sent off for a foul on Chawinga, leaving her team down to ten players for most of the game. Malawi’s Kadzere was also shown a red card just before halftime for a dangerous tackle on Marine Dafeur, briefly evening the numbers again. Adjabi pulled one back for Algeria in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback. Ranked 153rd in the world and playing in their maiden tournament, Malawi produced one of the great upsets of the competition against an Algerian side that had conceded just two goals in its first four matches. Algeria will now play in the third place match, and both teams have already secured their spot at the 2027 World Cup.
The other semi final was a much tighter affair. Morocco, the tournament favourites and hosts, went into their match against Cameroon expecting a route to a home final, but found themselves stuck in a defensive standoff. The two sides went in level at halftime, with Morocco dominating possession at around 70 percent but unable to find a way through. The second half followed a similar pattern, Morocco again controlling the ball at roughly 63 percent and firing off eight shots to Cameroon’s four, without ever breaking the deadlock. The score stayed goalless through 90 minutes and then through extra time, sending the match to penalties. Cameroon’s goalkeeper was the difference, saving two Moroccan spot kicks against just one save from her Moroccan counterpart, as Cameroon won the shootout 3 1 and ended the host nation’s run one step short of the final.
Malawi and Cameroon will now meet in the final, an outcome few would have predicted before the semi finals kicked off. Malawi, competing at their very first AFCON, become the seventh different nation to reach a final since 1998. Cameroon, meanwhile, got the better of the host nation through a heroic display from their goalkeeper in the shootout. Morocco and Algeria, both eliminated at the semi final stage, will meet for third place, with both already through to next year’s World Cup regardless of that result.