Cameroon lifted the Women's Africa Cup of Nations trophy on Sunday, defeating Malawi 3-0 in a final that felt almost scripted — except for the part where Cameroon weren't originally invited to the tournament at all.
The Confederation of African Football expanded WAFCON from 12 to 16 teams last November, admitting Cameroon, Mali, Ivory Coast and Egypt via FIFA ranking. Six weeks before kick-off, Valentine Nguele became the country's first female head coach. Two months later, she's holding a continental title.
Cameroon's Campaign Was Built Different
Marie Ngah Manga scored twice in the final, with Naomi Eto adding a third — all before half-time. That efficiency defined Cameroon's entire tournament: two draws, zero losses, only two goals conceded across the competition. Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina took the Golden Glove, and she earned it.
This win ended a painful cycle. Cameroon had reached the WAFCON final three times before — 2004, 2014, 2016 — and lost all three to Nigeria. They are now just the fourth nation to lift the trophy since 1998 and only the third country, alongside Nigeria and South Africa, to win both the men's and women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Malawi's Temwa Chawinga claimed the Golden Boot despite the defeat, and it absolutely is not a consolation prize. She and sister Tabitha dragged the 153rd-ranked nation in African football — the lowest-seeded team in the competition — all the way to the final and secured a first-ever Women's World Cup qualification. Tabitha once bought Temwa's plane ticket to sign her first European deal in Sweden, having convinced the club owner to take a chance. That bet has paid off about as well as any in women's football.
NWSL: The Weekend Belonged to the Returners
Across the Atlantic, the NWSL delivered its own emotional payload. Caiya Hanks, 21, came off the bench in the final minutes of Portland's match against the Pride and scored a 2-1 winner in the dying seconds — 14 months after tearing her ACL. The footage of her embracing Morgan Weaver, herself back from a long injury absence, and Olivia Moultrie, who just suffered an ACL tear of her own, is the kind of thing that reminds you why sport works.
At Angel City, Sydney Leroux made her first appearance since 2024, entering in stoppage time of a 1-1 draw with the Spirit. At 36, one of three remaining players from the NWSL's inaugural 2013 season, her presence carries weight that goes beyond minutes played. Savy King — back from a cardiac event and subsequent foot surgery — provided the assist on Angel City's equaliser. The two had been training together for months.
- Angel City are ninth but now just two points off a playoff spot after the draw
- King, 21, said of Leroux: "She's a great leader, and she is going to do a lot for this team"
- Leroux's pre-match entrance on Disney Princess Night was, by all accounts, exactly what you'd expect
Angel City's season has been a mess of bad luck and disruption. One draw doesn't fix that. But with King and Leroux both fit and training together, the arithmetic on a playoff run just got marginally more realistic — and their defensive fragility, still a concern, is the number punters eyeing their remaining fixtures should be watching closest.
