Cameroon End Super Falcons' WAFCON Title Defence with 1–0 Victory

Cameroon End Super Falcons' WAFCON Title Defence with 1–0 Victory

Nigeria's hopes of retaining the Women's Africa Cup of Nations title have come to an end after the Super Falcons suffered a 1–0 defeat to Cameroon in the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The defending champions were unable to find a response after Cameroon's Myriam Nyadjou produced the decisive moment, scoring with a long-range free kick to give her side the lead. The goal proved enough to send Cameroon through to the semi-finals and end Nigeria's campaign.

The defeat represents a major setback for the Super Falcons, who entered the tournament as defending champions and one of Africa's most successful women's national teams.

For Cameroon, however, the victory carries even greater significance. Their progression to the semi-finals also secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria's exit also means the Falcons will not receive one of Africa's automatic World Cup qualification places through the WAFCON quarter-finals. However, the team still has a route to the tournament through the additional qualification pathway.

Following the defeat, Super Falcons coach Justin Madugu apologised to Nigerians and accepted responsibility for the result, acknowledging the disappointment caused by the team's early exit.

The result also guarantees that the 2026 WAFCON will have a new champion, as none of the four teams remaining in the competition; Cameroon, Morocco, Malawi and Algeria has previously won the tournament.

For Nigeria, attention now turns to the next stage of the World Cup qualification process and rebuilding after a tournament that ended much earlier than expected.

The Super Falcons may be out of the WAFCON, but do you believe Nigeria can still qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup through the remaining route?