Cameroon's first WAFCON crown, finally

The title that took this long to arrive

Cameroon have been one of the most recognisable names in African women's football for years, but the WAFCON title had always found a way to stay out of reach. That changes now. According to Pulse Sports, the Indomitable Lionesses claimed their first-ever Women Africa Cup of Nations crown at WAFCON 2026, defeating Malawi in the final to complete a landmark moment for women's football in Central Africa.

The prize money that comes with the title adds a financial dimension that matters. Pulse Sports reports that Cameroon will earn millions from the confederation following their victory, a figure that reflects the growing investment in the women's game across the continent, though the exact breakdown has not been confirmed from available reporting.

Malawi's run deserves its own paragraph

For all the celebration in the Cameroon camp, the story of this tournament belongs almost equally to Malawi. The Scorchers arrived as outsiders and kept going, round after round, until they were standing in a WAFCON final. That is not a small thing for a nation whose women's programme has operated with far fewer resources than most of their continental rivals.

Malawi's run captured attention across Africa precisely because nobody saw it coming, and because the further they went, the more it felt like something was genuinely shifting in the women's game on this continent. They didn't win the final, but the journey itself changed what people think is possible for smaller football nations in the women's game.

What this means beyond the trophy

Cameroon lifting WAFCON 2026 gives Central Africa its first continental title in the women's game. The programme has competed at the top of the continent for years without a title to show for it, and this win gives it a proof of concept and a prize fund that can be reinvested into the next generation.

The women's game in Africa is growing, and tournaments like WAFCON are growing with it. For a programme that has competed at the top of the continent for years without a title, that prize fund now has somewhere to go.