* The Indomitable Lionesses stunned hosts Morocco on penalties as the Atlas Lionesses pay price for late penalty miss
* After the Scorchers beat Algeria 3-1 2026 as they continue their fairytale run on their debut WAfCON appearance
Maravi Express
It took post-match penalties for Cameroon to beat hosts Morocco to reach the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) 2026 to book a date with Malawi Scorchers, who beat Algeria 3-1 earlier on last night.
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The Indomitable Lionesses held their nerve in the shootout at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium after 120 minutes failed to produce a goal, with Morocco left to rue a golden opportunity to win the contest when Fatima Tagnaout missed a penalty in extra time.
Cameroon converted three of their four kicks in the shootout through Marie Ngah, Rose Bella and Myriam Nyadjou, while Morocco managed only one successful effort, scored by Hanane Aït El Haj.
Kenza Chapelle, Meryem Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui all failed to convert for the Atlas Lionesses as Cameroon completed another major knockout victory after eliminating defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
The victory sends Cameroon into their fourth WAfCON final and ends Morocco’s hopes of reaching the continental showpiece for a third successive edition.
It was particularly significant for Cameroon, who had lost all three of their previous WAfCON penalty shootouts, including a semi-final defeat by Nigeria in 2018.
They have now overcome Nigeria and hosts Morocco in successive knockout matches to secure a place in the continental final.
For Malawi, they are now aiming to achieve a further milestone on African women football by winning the title on their debut — having also qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
Chawinga sisters Tabitha and Temwa once again proved decisive as they combined for all three goals in the victory against Algeria in which both played with 10 after Morgane Belkhiter and Rose Kadzere were shown the red card following VAR reviews on separate occasions.
Tabitha scored first in the 33rd minute when the captain produced a moment of brilliance, improvising superbly to direct an acrobatic effort onto the crossbar and into the net.
The Scorchers doubled their advantage moments before the break when Temwa Chawinga showed composure inside the area, rounding the goalkeeper after being played through before calmly slotting into an empty net to give Malawi a commanding 2-0 lead at half-time.
Algeria responded in the 60th minute to reduce the deficit when a dangerous free-kick from Marine Dafeur caused problems in the Malawi penalty area before Ikram Adjabi reacted quickest to a loose ball and volleyed home to make it 2-1.
With Algeria pushing forward in search of an equaliser, Malawi struck a decisive blow through Tabitha Chawinga when the forward beat her marker before driving a left-footed effort into the net to complete her brace and restore her side’s two-goal cushion.—Reporting by CAFonline; editing by Duncan Mlanjira; Maravi Express
Group stage results, standings and knockout stage fixtures (kick-off times CAT beamed live on SuperSport live on DStv Channel 225 (https://dstv.stream) and on GOtv Channel 61 (https://gotv.stream):
Group A
Algeria 2-0 Senegal
Morocco 4-0 Kenya
Senegal 1-0 Kenya
Morocco 1-0 Algeria
Senegal 0-0 Morocco
Kenya 0-2 Algeria
Group B
South Africa 1-2 Tanzania
Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 Burkina Faso
South Africa 2-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso 2-1 Tanzania
Burkina Faso 0-1 South Africa
Tanzania 1-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Group C
Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Nigeria 3-2 Malawi
Egypt 1-3 Malawi
Nigeria 1-9 Zambia
Egypt 2-6 Nigeria
Malawi 1-2 Zambia
Group D
Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Cameroon 2-1 Mali
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Mali 3-2 Cape Verde
Mali 1-1 Ghana
Cape Verde 1-1 Cameroon
AdvertisementQuarterfinals
Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Algeria
Morocco 2-1 South Africa
Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
Malawi 2-1 Ghana
Semifinals
Algeria 1-3 Malawi
Morocco 0(1) – 0(3) Nigeria
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Tomorrow, August 13
South Africa v Nigeria (19h00)
Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Algeria v Morocco (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Malawi v Cameroon (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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