Malawi reached the 2026 Women’s AFCON final in its first appearance by beating Algeria 3–1 in the semi-finals. In the other tie, Cameroon drew 0–0 with host Morocco before advancing 3–1 on penalties. The two results set up a final between a debutant with the tournament’s leading attack and a team that had conceded no goal in the knockout rounds.
How strong was Malawi’s run?
The CAF’s subsequent final report puts Malawi’s total at 12 goals before the final. Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga were central to its attacking campaign. That figure helps explain why a first-time entrant reached the title match: the semi-final win over Algeria was part of a tournament-long scoring pattern, not a result that can be understood only as an upset. A precise account of individual semi-final goals would require the official score sheet, so this report does not assign them from assumption.
How did Cameroon eliminate the hosts?
Cameroon had already beaten Nigeria 1–0 in the quarter-finals. A second clean sheet against Morocco carried the semi-final to a shootout, which Cameroon won. Comparing the two ties shows what each finalist had to solve in Rabat: Cameroon needed to stop a prolific attack, while Malawi had to create chances against a defence that had kept consecutive knockout opponents scoreless.
Morocco’s home advantage did not settle the match. Nor does a penalty win prove Cameroon dominated the 120 minutes: the score was goalless before the shootout. It is more accurate to report separately the match result and the shootout score.
What happened in the final?
Cameroon beat Malawi 3–0 on 16 August, with all three goals in the first half. The result gave Cameroon its first continental title, while Malawi’s debut run ended as runner-up. See our final match analysis for the scorers and timings. This updated semi-final report retains the original match focus and records the verified outcome rather than leaving an outdated preview of what might happen next.
