Rabat – Morocco’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final ended on Wednesday night after Cameroon eliminated the hosts on penalties following a goalless semi-final at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.
Neither side managed to break the deadlock during 90 minutes, and another 30 minutes of extra time also failed to produce a goal, sending Morocco into a WAFCON semi-final shootout for the third consecutive tournament.
This time, however, the outcome went against the Atlas Lionesses.
Hanane Ait El Haj converted Morocco’s opening penalty, but the hosts then struggled from the spot. Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui Diki all failed to convert their attempts, allowing Cameroon to take control of the shootout.
Marie Ngah and Bella Rose were among Cameroon’s successful takers, while Grâce Davila Mendoua missed her attempt.
The defeat ended Morocco’s remarkable perfect record in WAFCON penalty shootouts. Before Wednesday’s match, the Atlas Lionesses had converted all nine penalties they had taken across shootout victories over Nigeria in the 2022 semi-final and Ghana at the same stage in 2024.
Those two victories had sent Morocco into back-to-back continental finals, but Cameroon prevented Jorge Vilda’s side from making it three in succession.
Morocco had entered the semi-final after defeating South Africa 2-1 in the quarter-finals, a victory that also secured automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Cameroon reached the last four after producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by eliminating defending champions Nigeria 1-0.
Cameroon to face Malawi in final
Cameroon will now meet Malawi in Sunday’s WAFCON final after the tournament debutants continued their extraordinary campaign with a 3-1 semi-final victory over Algeria earlier on Wednesday.
Tabitha Chawinga scored twice for Malawi, finding the net in the 33rd and 76th minutes, while her sister Temwa Chawinga struck just before half-time. Ikram Adjabi scored Algeria’s only goal in the 60th minute.
Malawi’s achievement is particularly notable because this is their first appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. They had already secured their first-ever qualification for the Women’s World Cup by reaching the semi-finals, and have now advanced to their maiden continental final.
Cameroon and Malawi will contest the title on Sunday, August 16, in Rabat. CAF’s official tournament schedule lists the final for 8 p.m. local time.
Morocco, meanwhile, still have one match remaining.
The Atlas Lionesses will face Algeria in the third-place playoff on Saturday, August 15, at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
That fixture will provide Morocco with an immediate rematch against their North African neighbors after the teams also met during the group stage of the tournament.
Wednesday’s elimination nevertheless means Morocco will not have another opportunity to win their first WAFCON crown on home soil this year. After finishing runners-up in both 2022 and 2024, their 2026 campaign will instead conclude with a battle against Algeria for the bronze medal.
