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Cameroon’s historic win in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is much bigger than just another victory in football. The Indomitable Lionesses beat Malawi 3-0 in Rabat, Morocco, securing their first ever WAFCON title.
With Cameroon becoming one of the four nations to have won the continental championship after three final defeats, the team’s triumph is about to inspire many other African girls.
For years, the football world had been perceived as one for men, with all the brightest players, the biggest contracts, and the most prominent figures being of male gender. But as the Lionesses proved for England, the popularity of women’s football is growing all the time.
The 2026 WAFCON was not only the largest to date, since it involved 16 teams compared to the 12-team lineup of previous tournaments, but it also saw some historical breakthroughs.
Malawi qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time ever as they won a bronze medal, while Algeria achieved a third-place finish and reached the semi-finals.
From inspiration to possibility
It goes without saying that sport can shape aspirations and career paths. Once a person sees someone they can identify with succeeding in his/her career, the latter becomes an attainable dream rather than an unreachable star.
WAFCON is a platform providing just this type of visibility.
These days, players of the tournament are not just athletes, but also role models who can show young girls the ways in which they can use football as an opportunity for pursuing a career in sports, media, education, coaching, etc. The pathway is already being laid in some parts of Africa, too.
In Kenya, for instance, members of the Rising Starlets team that became the first in the history of their country to qualify for the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup entered the senior Harambee Starlets side and played a significant part in bringing their country back to the WAFCON in 2026.
Despite the increased visibility, female footballers across Africa still have problems regarding professional contracts, salaries, proper training facilities, coaching, medical care, and playing enough games. Suffice to say, there is still much to do regarding investment.
