Cameroon, who failed to qualify for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations only to get a second chance, beat fairytale finalists Malawi 3-0 on Sunday to be crowned champions.

Marie Ngah scored twice and Naomi Eto once in the final in Rabat as the Indomitable Lionesses became queens of African football for the first time after finishing runners-up on three occasions.

Cameroon lost at home and away to Algeria in the final qualifying round, but the organisers later increased the number of teams for the tournament from 12 to 16.

The four highest ranked losers, led by Cameroon, were added for the two-yearly competition, which Morocco hosted for the third consecutive time.

It was a sad climax for Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, who had reached the title decider with the Chawinga sisters, captain Tabitha and Temwa, scoring nine goals between them.

Read moreChawinga sisters shine as Malawi reach Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final

Among those who saw Cameroon succeed after losing the 2004, 2014 and 2016 finals to Nigeria without scoring was embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

He was flanked by Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe from South Africa and first vice-president Fouzi Lekjaa.

The CAF leadership have backed Infantino, who is fighting to save his job after a barrage of criticism for his aborted plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

Debutants Malawi defied being the lowest ranked nation at the marquee African women’s football event to reach the final after beating defending champions Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Algeria.

Read moreWAFCON: Malawi and Cameroon face off for historic first crown

The Scorchers started the final impressively, with the power and pace of the Chawingas creating several threatening situations.

But Malawi failed to score and, as the opening half progressed, so did the performance of Cameroon, who took a 20th-minute lead.

A cross was headed off Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo onto the crossbar and Ngah nodded the rebound into the net for her fourth goal of the tournament.

As they became increasingly adventurous, Cameroon doubled the lead on 29 minutes when Eto, with her back to goal, swivelled and struck the ball into the corner of the net.

WAFCON final: Women’s sport seeks greater recognition

Advertisement

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.

Accept


Manage my choices

One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site.

Try again

Ngah netted again three minutes into added time at the end of the opening half, heading an Eto cross into the net.

After scoring twice in the opening half, Ngah should have completed a hat-trick early in the second period but, after taking the ball past Sikelo, fired wide.

Malawi contained Cameroon as the second period progressed and Temwa Chawinga was just wide with a low shot after a goalmouth scramble.

By reaching the semi-finals, Cameroon, Malawi, third-placed Algeria and Morocco qualified for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The number of African qualifiers could swell to six as losing WAFCON quarter-finalists South Africa and Ghana have secured places in inter-continental play-offs.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Max Verstappen‘s girlfriend, Kelly Piquet, shared numerous images via Instagram on Sunday, August 16, in which she could be seen sitting on a yacht in an all-black swimsuit. The Brazilian model and her family including Verstappen and her two daughters, spent the F1 summer break in the Mediterranean.

Verstappen and Piquet have been dating since 2020. They also have a daughter together named Lily, who was born in 2025. Piquet also has a daughter from her previous relationship with former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat named Penelope. Now, Verstappen, Piquet, Lily and Penelope all live together at the F1 driver’s residence in Monaco.

A model by profession, Piquet often shares moments from her personal and professional life via her social media. On Sunday on Instagram, she grabbed the attention of fans as she shared a series of images of herself in an all-black swimsuit, while she was sitting on a yacht at sea.

Kelly Piquet and Max Verstappen were spotted on holiday at the Italian island of Sardinia in July as the Dutchman enjoyed some time off on his superyacht amid the F1 summer break. But the break is now all set to end with the Dutch Grand Prix, which will commence this weekend.

The 2026 season recommences on August 21 at Zandvoort, which is, of course, Max Verstappen’s home race. This year’s event in the Netherlands is also set to be a sprint weekend, and also the last race at the historic event for the foreseeable future, as Zandvoort’s contract ends after this year. Hence, this could well be Max Verstappen’s final home race in F1.

Max Verstappen reveals special helmet for “last home race” at the Dutch Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has revealed the special one-off helmet he will be using for what he has described as his “last home race” at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. The 4x world champion shared a short and simple message while sharing images of his new lid, showcasing his appreciation to the track and his home country.

“For my last home race. Thank you, Zandvoort 🇳🇱”

The Dutch Grand Prix returned to the F1 calendar in 2021 after an absence of over three decades. Max Verstappen claimed victory at the track for the first three consecutive years, and has finished second in the next two, making for a 100% record at his home race.

But when asked if he has any extra motivation to do well once again at Zandvoort this time around, the 28-year-old dismissed the idea, suggesting he wants to do his best at every race. Verstappen said that it would be “dangerous” if he got himself pumped up more for only some races, as he actually wants to do his best in every Grand Prix.

But Verstappen has claimed that being able to race at Zandvoort and have such a successful record is “incredibly special” to him, and something nobody can take away from him. He also said that the track is still not going anywhere, and he might go and race there again away from F1 in the future.