Malawi shock Algeria and Cameroon beat Morocco to reach WAFCON final

Malawi will face Cameroon in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final after respective wins over Algeria and Morocco.

Upstart Malawi will face footballing giants Cameroon in the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Sunday.

Malawi beat Algeria 3-1 in the first semifinal match on Wednesday, led by Tabitha Chawinga with a pair of goals. Cameroon won a penalty shootout 3-1 against Morocco after a scoreless draw in the other semi.

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All four semifinalists qualified for next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Malawi and Algeria will be making their World Cup debuts.

Morocco will make its second World Cup appearance after reaching the round of 16 in 2023. Cameroon played in the 2015 and 2019 editions.

Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina stopped three attempts by Morocco in the penalty shootout, and Myriam Maéva Nyadjou converted to send Cameroon to the final.

Morocco, in the semifinals for the third time at WAFCON, dominated possession in regulation.

In the second extra time period, Cameroon’s Myriam Maeva Nyadjou fouled Sakina Ouzraouiin in the box. After a video review, Morocco was awarded a penalty kick. But Bihina blocked Fatima Tagnaout’s attempt to keep the match scoreless.

Cameroon beat powerhouse Nigeria 1-0 to reach the semifinals, its second win over Nigeria at WAFCON in 14 meetings.

A crowd of more than 19,000 attended the match at Moulay Al Hassan Stadium.

Tabitha Chawinga scored two goals and her sister Temwa added another to put upstart Malawi in the title game. Ranked No 153 in the world, Malawi was playing in the WAFCON tournament for the first time.

Algeria’s Morgane Belkhiter was sent off with a red card after a foul on Tabitha Chawinga in the 23rd minute.

Tabitha Chawinga, who plays for Lyon in France’s top league, gave Malawi the lead in the 33rd minute with a strike off her left foot that ricocheted down off the crossbar and bounced into the goal.

Temwa Chawinga, who plays for the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League, scored her fifth goal of the tournament, dancing around a falling Algerian goalkeeper, Chloe N’Gazi, and finding the open net in first-half stoppage time.

Shortly thereafter, Malawi’s Rose Kadzere was handed a red card for a challenge on Marine Dafeur, putting both teams at 10 players heading into the second half.

Ikram Adjabi pulled Algeria within a goal in the 60th minute. But Tabitha Chawinga scored her second goal in the 76th minute, shooting between an Algerian defender’s legs to give Malawi a 3-1 lead.

The four quarterfinal losers can still secure a spot in the Women’s World Cup. Nigeria will play South Africa, and Ghana will face Ivory Coast in Casablanca on Thursday, with the winners advancing to an intercontinental playoff.

Reporting from Al Jazeera contributed to this story.