Fearless Malawi fire warning against Cameroon ahead of WAFCON final

Malawi head coach Lovemore Fazili has expressed his confidence ahead of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final on Sunday where they will face West Africa heavyweights Cameroon.

The Rabat Olympic Stadium in Morocco will host the most awaited final, neither Cameroon nor Malawi were among the favorites for the tourney, yet it is these two teams who will battle for the trophy, each carried by an equally improbable journey.

Malawi qualified for their first-ever WAFCON final by defeating Algeria 3-1 in the semi-finals on August 12, 2026 while Cameroon reached their fourth final by defeating the host nation, Morocco, 3–1 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time in other semi-finals.

Cameroon was initially eliminated during the final round of the WAFCON qualifiers after suffering a 2–1 loss away and a 1–0 loss at home against Algeria. However, they were handed a lifeline when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to expand the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.

CAF filled the four newly created slots using the highest-ranked teams on the FIFA Women's World Ranking among those previously eliminated, allowing Cameroon (ranked 66th at the time) to qualify.

For Malawi, everything is a first. The Scorchers are playing in their very first Women's AFCON finals and, at the start of the tournament, were ranked 153rd in the FIFA rankings - the lowest of the 16 teams competing in Morocco.

Their underdog status was only reinforced by a ruthless draw as they landed in the 'group of death', alongside Nigeria, 10-time African champions and defending title holders, Zambia, and Egypt.

“We are ready to meet Cameroon, we understand it’s a hard side to beat but to this level we have reached we not underdogs anymore, so we are equal to the task today. The players are ready mentally and physically ahead do the final and I’m looking forward to win the title and write history.”

Fazili however hailed the Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha for leading with example and motivate the team.

The prolific sisters have been instrumental in transforming Malawi from no-hopers to giant killers to finalists at the tournament. 

The Malawian Scorchers scored 12 goals en route to the title decider against Cameroon with Temwa from Kansas City Current claiming five and Tabitha from Lyon four.

Opposing them in Rabat will be Michaely Bihina, the outstanding goalkeeper at the tournament, who has played a key role as the Indomitable Lionesses reached the final.

The 22-year-old from famed Portuguese club Benfica saved four penalties in the semi-final victory over Morocco -- one in extra time and three in the subsequent shootout.

“The Chawinga sisters have been very instrumental to us. I have worked with them for seven years now and despite their high profile, playing abroad, they are always humble when in the camp and they take my instructions serious. We will depend on them for goal hunting today”

Fazili sentiments were echoed by his defender Ireen Khumalo who turns up for Silver Strikers in the Malawi Women’s Premier League.

“We are very much prepared for the final and our focus is to win. Cameron is a good team having managed to reach the final but we will not underrate them but put them on task. I’m sure we will bring the trophy home and I’m encouraging all our fans more so in Malawi to continue supporting us and will not disappoint them”

In her part, Cameroon tactician Valetine Nguele said they are ready to face the South Africa debutants today.

“Since the start of the tournament no match has been easy for us and we always approach each match as a final. After we won our semifinal against Morocco, we did not relaxed but intensively continue preparing for the final and we are going to give our best," stated Nguele.

"For the state of mind going to the final against a very physical side we need to be very tactical to emerge the winners,” added Nguele,

Malawi are ranked 153rd in the world,  82 places below Cameroon and it would be the greatest upset in the 28-year history of the WAFCON if they triumph.

A blow for Malawi will be the absence of midfielder Rose Kadzere, who scored twice en route to the final. Sent off in the semi-final win over Algeria, she is serving an automatic suspension.

On Saturday, Morocco suffered more penalty shootout heartache in the losing 3-2 to Algeria after a 1-1 draw in the third place play-off.

The winners of the WAFCON will earn a record-breaking $2 million USD as the fot runenrs up will pocket 750,000 USD and the second runners up will walk away with 550,000 USD.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) introduced a major financial boost for this edition, doubling the champions' prize money from the previous tournament's $1 million reward.