Two of the four WAFCON 2026 quarter finals produced plenty of drama this weekend in Casablanca and Rabat. Cameroon knocked out defending champions Nigeria, while Malawi, playing in their first ever tournament, beat Ghana to reach the semi finals.
Cameroon 1, Nigeria 0: the shock of Casablanca
Nobody really expected Cameroon to get this far. On Sunday at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, the Indomitable Lionesses knocked out Nigeria, defending champions and ten time African winners, a team they had beaten only once in thirteen previous meetings in the competition’s history.
The match turned in the 19th minute. Standing just outside the box, Myriam Maeva Nyadjou curled a direct free kick into the top corner, giving Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie no chance. It was a goal of real quality, and it proved to be the only one of the game.
Nigeria did not lack chances to equalize. As early as the second minute, Rasheedat Ajibade tried a half volley in the box that Cameroon goalkeeper Michaely Bihina saved. The Super Falcons kept pushing in the second half, firing 19 shots in total, nine on target, but could not find a way through. Bihina was outstanding, making key saves in the 2nd, 22nd, 29th, 70th and 79th minutes and getting a helping hand from her post late on. Named player of the match, the Benfica goalkeeper carried her defense all the way to the final whistle.
The win gives Cameroon their first semi final appearance since finishing third eight years ago, and it also secures their spot at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The Indomitable Lionesses will face host nation Morocco in the semi final on Wednesday.
Malawi 2, Ghana 1: the newcomers keep their dream alive
In Rabat, the other quarter final delivered an equally dramatic story. Playing in their first ever WAFCON finals, Malawi pulled off another surprise by eliminating Ghana, one of West African women’s football’s traditional powers.
Ghana made the perfect start. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah put the Black Queens ahead in the 7th minute. Malawi’s response came fast: just five minutes later, Temwa Chawinga leveled the score, and the two sides went into the break tied at 1-1.
Ghana tried to regain control after the restart but could not break down a solid Malawian defense. The game was finally settled in the 79th minute, when Chawinga set up Rose Kadzere, a midfielder who plays her club football at Montpellier, for the goal that sealed Malawi’s historic qualification. Ghana had no time left to respond.
For Malawi, it is a double achievement: a first ever semi final appearance on the continent and, with it, a first ever ticket to the Women’s World Cup in 2027. After topping their group ahead of Nigeria and Zambia, including a 3-2 win over the Super Falcons in their opening match, the team led by the Chawinga sisters is proving this run is no fluke. The Scorchers will face Algeria in the semi final, also on Wednesday, at Stade Moulay El Hassan in Rabat.
What these results say about the tournament
Both quarter finals confirm the shakeup in the competition’s usual pecking order this year. Three of the four remaining semi finalists, Morocco, Algeria and Cameroon, come from countries where women’s football in North and Central Africa is on the rise, while Malawi, having beaten both Nigeria and Ghana on their way here, has become the clearest symbol of the smaller nations closing the gap.
Nigeria, the defending champions, and Ghana, a historic name in African women’s football, are both out at the quarter final stage, a strong signal of how tight the competition has become across the continent.
