The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon won the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) trophy by defeating the Malawian female national team 3-0 in the final held at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. It was their first-ever continental title. The Lionesses dominated the game against their East African opponent, Malawi, who finished runners-up in their first-ever appearance in a WAFCON final.

Malawi had enjoyed a fairytale campaign in Morocco that saw it defeating continental powerhouses like Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Algeria at group, quarter and semi finals. Cameroon also upset pre-tournament favourites, Nigeria and Morocco, in the quarter and semi finals. The tenacity of Cameroon to lift the trophy should be commended.

The Indomitable Lionesses did not initially qualify among the 12 original Confederation of African Football (CAF) teams after round robin, group matches. It only made up the number when the 2026 tournament was expanded to 16 teams. The Indomitable Lionesses adequately utilised the lifeline and ultimately triumphed as 2026 WAFCON Champions.

When teams like the Super Falcons of Nigeria and the Copper Queens of Zambia dominated African female football for years, the Indomitable Lionesses played catch-up, but now, they are the continental champions. We congratulate them on their well-deserved sweet victory.

The 2026 WAFCON was the worst for the Nigerian team. The Super Falcons started their Group C campaign with a 3-2 defeat by Malawi, in their maiden appearance at the continental competition. They defeated Zambia 1-0 and Egypt 6-2 before Cameroon’s 1-0 defeat at quarter final. In all these games, the Super Falcons were weak and uninspiring. The Nigerian coaching crew was equally not creative enough and proved ineffective throughout the tournament.

Unfortunately, the Super Falcons crashed out at the quarter finals of WAFCON and also failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA World Cup billed for Brazil. They were defeated by Banyana Banyana of South Africa in a face-saving playoff match to determine Africa’s fifth qualifier for the 2027 FIFA World Cup. The Super Falcon’s failure in this regard can be compared to the Super Eagles failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Falcons, Brazil, the United States, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and Japan are the only teams that have played in every FIFA World Cup. For Super Falcons fans in Nigeria and abroad, who are used to seeing the team at the FIFA World Cup tournaments, it would surely be a big miss. The Super Falcons’ quick exit in Morocco is inexcusable. The team lost to Malawi in its first group match and to Cameroon in the quarter finals.

Although the team’s coach, Justine Madugu, apologised for their poor outing in Morocco, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) sacked him and the coaching crew over their luck-luster performance. It is time to recruit a new coach for Super Falcons. We need a world-class coach for the Super Falcons. This is not the time to brood over not winning WAFCON Cup and not going to FIFA World Cup.

It is time to rebuild the team and bring in fresh legs to replace tired ones. Sadly, Nigerian football fame is sliding in both male and female teams. Our football house must be restructured for more effectiveness. There is need to overhaul our football by recruiting young and talented players. The local league must be revived. It will serve as a pool for new talents.

The disastrous defeat of the Super Falcons in Morocco should serve as a wake-up call on the government and the NFF to begin to take female football seriously. Government should make more investments in female football. We call for urgent football reform by the federal government. Nigerian football is experiencing a downward trajectory.

The Super Falcons could be regarded as Africa’s most successful women’s football team. The Nigerian female team won a record 10 WAFCON titles. The Super Falcons won their first-ever WAFCON in 1991 and had maintained a continuous presence at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1990s. Their best performance was at the 1999 FIFA World Cup in USA where they reached quarter-final before being defeated by Brazil in a tight extra-time match. In 2019, they passed the group stage at the France World Cup. Perhaps this is the time to revive the team. (The Sun)

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