Cameroon have ended Nigeria’s reign as Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions after defeating the Super Falcons 1-0 in a tense quarter-final clash in Casablanca on Sunday.
The Indomitable Lionesses secured the crucial victory at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, with Myriam Maéva Nyadjou Wamen scoring the only goal of the encounter in the 19th minute.
The result brings a painful end to Nigeria’s title defence and their hopes of retaining the WAFCON crown, while Cameroon march into the semi-finals and also secure an automatic place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria entered the knockout tie as defending champions and were looking to continue their pursuit of another continental title after reaching the quarter-finals from Group C.
The Super Falcons had booked their place in the last eight with a 6-2 victory over Egypt in their final group match. But Cameroon struck first and held on. Nyadjou Wamen’s early goal gave the Indomitable Lionesses the advantage and forced Nigeria to chase the game for much of the contest. The Super Falcons searched for an equaliser but could not find a way through Cameroon’s defence.
The defeat is particularly significant given the history between the two sides. Nigeria and Cameroon have developed one of the fiercest rivalries in African women’s football, with the Super Falcons beating Cameroon 1-0 in their previous WAFCON quarter-final meeting in 2022 to reach the semi-finals. This time, however, it was Cameroon who had the final say.
The result also ends Nigeria’s long-standing record of reaching at least the semi-finals whenever they have participated in the WAFCON. The Super Falcons remain the most successful team in the competition’s history, but their 2026 campaign has now come to a disappointing conclusion.
For Cameroon, Sunday’s victory represents a major step towards a first WAFCON title, while their progression to the semi-finals guarantees a place at next year’s Women’s World Cup.
Cameroon will now face Morocco in the semi-finals after the hosts defeated Ghana 2-1 to book their place in the last four.
