In-form Cameroon look to break Nigeria jinx
In the most played fixture at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon will face archrivals and neighbours Nigeria for an unprecedented 14th time since tournament inception in 1998. Familiar foes, who have shared more history than any other at the continental showpiece, will once again lineup to chase glory.
The Indomitable Lionesses and Super Falcons have met at every stage of the competition and yet for all their familiarity, nothing is predictable ahead of their quarterfinal clash at the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 in Morocco.
Record 10-time WAFCON champions Nigeria have dominated this fixture, winning nine times in open play and another two on penalties. Cameroon recorded one victory, while one other game ended in a draw without a shoot-out. The win came at the 2012 edition thanks to a lone Gaelle Enganamouit goal that inspired the Indomitable Lionesses to a third place finish in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Indomitable Lionesses embrace ‘underdogs’ tag
Cameroon have competed at every WAFCON edition except the last one played in 2025. The current one is their 13th appearance at the continental tournament and have faced Nigeria at every single edition apart from 2002. One win, one draw and nine defeats.
The WAFCON 2016 final in Yaounde, in front of a fully packed Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, has to be the one that hurt Cameroonians the most. Their fans filled the iconic stadium to the brim more than eight hours before kickoff with the host nation hoping to finally end their jinx against their neighbours. But a Desire Oparanozie goal late in the 86th minute sealed Nigeria’s eighth title.
If history is anything to go by, the Indomitable Lionesses come into Sunday’s must-win quarterfinal as the outright underdogs. And head coach Valentine Nguele admits it.
“We have a great match upon us. A big quarterfinal. It is an important match for us and we are ready. We must admit that Nigeria is a great football team. They are the favourites. They have won the title 10 times. We need to accept that,” Nguele says admittedly.
But she is quick to add, “But I like to think about the present. We are now here in the quarterfinals. We are in the correct head space. We got a second chance to play at the tournament because it was expanded [from 12 to 16 teams]. Thank God for this opportunity to play in this WAFCON. This is an opportunity for us to do our best. Reaching the last eight is a bonus for us.”
Cameroon have surprised even their own fans by topping a tricky Group D with seven points from three games – two victories against Mali 2-1 and 1-0 against Ghana before drawing with debutants Cabo Verde. The Indomitable Lionesses have found the back of the net four times while conceding just two goals – boasting one of the best defensive setups in the tournament.
“Against Nigeria, we shall play our natural style of football. We need to enjoy the match. We shall not put pressure on ourselves. We shall go out there have fun,” Nguele explains.
Drawing inspiration from Malawi’s win over Nigeria in their opening Group B fixture, Nguele says, “Many things have changed. Every team is coming to win. There is a lot of improvement in Women’s Football in Africa. It will be a great pleasure to play against Nigeria on Sunday.”
Cameroonian defender Colette Ndzana, who lost to Nigeria in the final of the 2019 African Games in Rabat after a tense penalty shootout, is even more motivated than ever to win this game. With a straight face, she says, “We need to go into this game. We must be calm and play the game. Two big nations, two big teams. We shall be ready. We want to break any existing barriers. We shall remain focused. We know that this is a quarterfinal. We are going into it with a great deal of humility.”
This is Cameroon’s second WAFCON quarterfinal with their only previous appearance in the last eight ending in a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria four years ago.
Victory on Sunday would send Cameroon to their 11th WAFCON semifinal. They have previously only failed to reach the last four in 2000 and 2022 and a third FIFA Women’s World Cup appearance with previous appearances in 2015 and 2019.
Naija no dey carry last!
A record 10 trophies in 13 editions! An enviable achievement across global football. The Super Falcons of Nigeria are the most successful team in African Football. It is the kind of feat that blinds many towards the hard work that goes into this dominance as well as the consistency and pressure that it takes to remain at the top.
And when the Super Falcons take on the Indomitable Lionesses, it will be a battle for supremacy in a fight for a coveted place in the prestigious semifinals and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.
“We know each other. Games between these two countries always bring out the best in us. We will do our best to impose ourselves and make sure that we carry the day. We have huge respect for Cameroon. They have done so much for African Football. In the last two matches [friendly matches in the March international window in Cameroon] and looking at the current game, we are not carried away by those results. They were preparatory games,” Justine Madugu, who led Nigeria to the WAFCON 2024 title last year explains emphatically.
The Nigerian tactician admits that his side got a reality check in their opener but that they have since turned their fortunes around. He says, “We conceded goals in the group stages but there is always a starting point. We begin that keeping a clean sheet will begin at the quarterfinal stage. We are working to make sure that those mistakes are avoided. We concede but we equally score more than we concede. It is still positive for us. It is one of those games that everyone will be waiting.”
Nigerian midfielder Toni Payne, who recently signed for Inter Milan and previously represented USA at the junior level featuring at the U17, U20 and U23 levels, is certain that the mood in camp is cohesive and resilient ahead of this definitive matchup.
“Everyone is confident ahead of this game. We have an opportunity to qualify for the World Cup. We appreciate that we have had many challenges throughout this tournament but these challenges prepare us for what happens in the future. I think we can appreciate the accomplishments we have made as well. We are as hungry as ever,” Payne points out.
The Super Falcons have scored an impressive nine goals and four of them have come from the penalty spot with captain Rasheedat Ajibade netting twice. And six of their nine goals have been scored in the second half.
Victory would qualify Nigeria for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for a record-extending 10th time. They have appeared at every edition of the global competition since the inaugural tournament in 1991.
The Stat of the Day
Defending champions Nigeria are targeting a 14th WAFCON semi-final appearance.