Cameroon gave its new African champions a triumphant welcome. Returning from Morocco after their 3-0 victory over Malawi in the Women’s AFCON 2026 final, the Indomitable Lionesses were greeted with cheers the moment they landed at Yaounde-Nsimalen International Airport on Monday, August 17.
The plane carrying the team touched down on the tarmac at 2:11 pm local time. Families, supporters, and large numbers of Cameroonians, dressed head to toe in national colors, flooded the tarmac to celebrate their new African queens, amid an atmosphere of celebration filled with singing, applause, and cheers, as the players arrived led by their captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguene.
Authorities deployed an exceptional security operation to manage this highly anticipated homecoming: liaison vehicles, strict accreditation checks, and a heavy police presence throughout the airport corridors, tasked with controlling the crowds and ensuring everyone’s safety. The convoy that left the airport traveled under heavy escort, flanked front and back by around ten army-colored jeeps surrounding the legendary 70-seat Indomitable Lions bus. From the airport all the way into downtown Yaounde, the city’s streets turned into corridors of cheering crowds, with residents pouring out in large numbers to greet the players as they passed.
It took the team hours to make their way out of the terminal, as the dense, passionate crowd was determined to touch the trophy. « The joy is immense! We’re overwhelmed by the welcome, » said forward Rose Bella, while midfielder Toko Njoya also struggled to grasp the scale of the turnout.
This title carries special meaning for a team that had long come close but never crossed the finish line. Three-time runner-up in the competition, in 2004, 2014, and 2016, and only squeezed into this 2026 edition at the last minute after the tournament expanded from 12 to 16 teams, the Cameroonian side has now claimed an unexpected title, the very first in its history in this competition. The trophy brings an end to a long stretch of dominance by Nigeria’s Super Falcons, ten-time African champions, whom the Lionesses had already knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Beyond the sporting pride, the victory also carries financial weight for Cameroonian women’s football: it earns the Cameroonian Football Federation a 2 million dollar prize awarded by CAF. Attention now turns to preparations for the Women’s World Cup, set to take place in summer 2027 in Brazil, a tournament Cameroon has already qualified for directly by reaching the semifinals of this AFCON.