Cameroon and Malawi will battle for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title tonight. The final takes place at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat. Kick-off is scheduled for 9:00pm local time.
Neither nation has won the WAFCON title before. That makes this final a major moment for both teams. The winner will become only the fourth different champion in competition history.
Malawi arrive with attacking firepower
Malawi have enjoyed a remarkable debut campaign. The Scorchers reached the final after beating Algeria 3-1. They also became the first Southern African team to reach the final on debut.
The Malawians have scored 12 goals so far. No other team has scored more at this tournament. Temwa Chawinga has five goals and two assists. She leads all players with seven goal involvements.
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Her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, has also impressed. She scored twice against Algeria. That took her tournament tally to four goals.
Together, the Chawinga sisters have scored nine of Malawi’s 12 goals.
Malawi have also won four matches in open play. Only Nigeria’s 1998 debut team won more. That side recorded five open-play victories.
Cameroon chasing redemption
Cameroon booked their final place by defeating hosts Morocco. The result sent the Indomitable Lionesses into their fourth WAFCON final.
Their previous three appearances all ended against Nigeria. Cameroon lost 5-0 in 2004. They then suffered defeats in 2014 and 2016.
They have never scored in those three finals. Cameroon also conceded eight goals across those matches.
This time, however, their defence has looked far stronger.
Cameroon have conceded only twice in Morocco. They have also kept three clean sheets. They have not conceded during the knockout rounds.
Goalkeeper Michaely Bihina has played a key role. She saved three penalties during the semi-final shoot-out against Morocco. That made her the first Cameroon goalkeeper to achieve the feat at the WAFCON.
A final packed with history
This will be the first WAFCON meeting between Cameroon and Malawi. It is also only the third final without a previous champion.
Malawi are the seventh different nation to reach a WAFCON final. Cameroon, meanwhile, could make history beyond women’s football.
Victory would make Cameroon only the third nation to win both the men’s and women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria and South Africa have already achieved that feat.
The final also carries regional significance. Malawi are only the second Southern African nation to reach the deciding match.
The previous Central versus Southern African finals both went to Central African teams. Equatorial Guinea defeated South Africa in 2008 and 2012.
Tonight, either Cameroon or Malawi will finally add their name to the WAFCON champions.
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