Nigeria’s Super Falcons have been knocked out of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after Cameroon edged the defending champions 1-0 in a tense quarter-final encounter in Casablanca on Sunday.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of retaining the continental crown and extending their record to an 11th WAFCON title, with the Indomitable Lionesses advancing to the semi-finals after protecting their slender advantage to the final whistle.
The decisive moment came in the 19th minute when Cameroon’s Myriam Maéva Nyadjou Wamen found the breakthrough with a powerful effort that beat Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.
The early goal ultimately proved enough to settle the contest.
Nigeria pushed for an equaliser as the game progressed and, according to match reports, created pressure around the Cameroonian defence.
But the Falcons could not find the finish needed to force the game back onto level terms, while Cameroon’s goalkeeper Michaely Bihina made several important saves to preserve the lead.
The result is particularly painful for Nigeria because Cameroon entered the match with a difficult recent record against the Falcons at the WAFCON.
CAF’s pre-match statistics showed that Nigeria had dominated their previous meetings at the tournament, scoring 33 goals and conceding only six across 13 encounters. Cameroon’s only previous WAFCON victory over Nigeria had come in the 2012 third-place play-off.
That historical advantage, however, counted for little on Sunday as Cameroon produced the result that mattered most, securing a semi-final place and an automatic ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
For the Falcons, the defeat means there will be no automatic World Cup qualification through a WAFCON semi-final berth.
Their route to Brazil remains open through the additional play-off pathway, meaning the continental setback has not completely ended Nigeria’s hopes of appearing at the 2027 global tournament.
The loss also represents a sharp reversal from Nigeria’s campaign at the previous WAFCON, where the Falcons emerged as champions. Their 2026 title defence has now ended at the first knockout hurdle.
Cameroon’s victory also adds another significant chapter to one of African women’s football’s most familiar rivalries.
The two sides had previously met in the 2022 WAFCON quarter-final, when Nigeria defeated Cameroon 1-0 through Rasheedat Ajibade’s 56th-minute goal.
