* The Black Queens, who beat the Scorchers 4-0 in pre-tournament friendly, survived a Mali fightback in their last Group D match by drawing 1-1
* In the other Group D match, Cape Verde held favourites Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 1-1, exiting their debut appearance with one point and scoring 3 goals
By Duncan Mlanjira
Ghana survived a Mali fightback in their last Group D match by drawing 1-1 to secure 2nd place and date Malawi Scorchers in the quarterfinals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAfCON) Morocco 2026.
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The Black Queens beat the Scorchers 4-0 in pre-tournament friendly and Sunday’s match (22h00) will be the third meeting between the two sides as they met last year in an international friendly when the Scorchers were preparing for their WAfCON 2026 qualifying match against Angola — which the Black Queens won 3-1.
A report by CAFonline indicates that against Mali, Ghana knew that avoiding defeat would almost certainly be enough to progress to the knockout stages.
And they did just that despite being forced to withstand a spirited second-half fightback from a determined Mali side at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
Ghana’s Evelyn Badu looked to have put the Black Queens firmly on course for qualification when she struck deep into first-half stoppage time after being picked out by Comfort Yeboah.
However, Kadidiatou Diabate restored parity five minutes after the restart to set up a nervy finish as Mali chased the victory they needed to reach the last eight.
The result, coupled with Cape Verde’s 1-1 draw against Cameroon in the other Group D fixture, ensured Cameroon finished top of the group with seven points while Ghana claimed second place on four points.
Cape Verde’s 1-1 draw with the favourites, Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon saw them exiting their debut appearance with one point and scoring 3 goals.
Their fellow debutants, Malawi hit the headlines across the continent and globally by beating 10-times WAfCON winners and defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in the opening match before beating Egypt 3-1 in the second.
In the last match, they narrowly lost 0-1 to COSAFA rivals, Zambia but qualified on head-to-head rule — condemning the Copper Queens to exit from the group stages.
Sunday’s quarterfinal carries huge significance, as the winner will qualify for the semifinals and secure a direct ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.
Two additional teams — to be identified in the play-off matches in this WAfCON on Thursday, August 13.—Additional reporting by CAFonline & FAM Media
Results and 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 stages
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
Quarterfinals
Saturday, August 8
Côte d’Ivoire v Algeria (19h00)
Morocco v South Africa (22h00)
Sunday, August 9
Cameroon v Nigeria (19h00)
Malawi v Ghana/Mali (22h00)
Semifinals
Wednesday, August 12
SF2: Winner QF2 v Winner QF3 (19h00)
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF4 (22h00)
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Thursday, August 13
Loser QF2 v Loser QF3 (19h00)
Loser QF1 v Loser QF4 (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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