Cameroon have eliminated defending champions Nigeria from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a narrow 1-0 quarter-final victory at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday.
Myriam Maéva Nyadjou Wamen scored the decisive goal in the 19th minute, giving the Indomitable Lionesses an early lead and putting the Super Falcons under pressure.
Nigeria responded strongly and dominated much of the latter stages of the first half, before continuing their search for an equaliser after the restart, but the ten-time African champions could not find a way past Cameroon’s defence.
The Super Falcons came close on several occasions, but Cameroon’s goalkeeper produced a crucial close-range save in the second half to preserve her side’s advantage and secure a place in the semi-finals.
The defeat brings an end to Nigeria’s WAFCON title defence and denies the Super Falcons a chance to extend their record of appearances in the final stages of the competition.
More significantly, Nigeria have also missed out on an automatic qualification ticket for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four WAFCON semi-finalists earning direct qualification.
Cameroon will now face hosts Morocco in the semi-finals after Morocco defeated South Africa 2-1 in their quarter-final.
For Nigeria, the focus now shifts from defending their African crown to finding another route to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
