Cameroon beat Morocco on penalties to reach WAFCON final

Cameroon has reached the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 by defeating the host team, Morocco, in a penalty shootout after a dramatic goalless semi-final in Rabat.

• Cameroon beat Morocco on penalties to reach the WAFCON final.

• The semi-final ended goalless after 120 minutes.

• Morocco missed three penalties in the shootout.

The Indomitable Lionesses maintained their composure to secure a 3-1 victory in the shootout at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium after both teams failed to score during the 120 minutes.

Morocco had a golden opportunity to settle the contest during extra time, but Fatima Tagnaout missed a crucial penalty in the closing stages.

Cameroon converted three of their four penalties through Marie Ngah, Rose Bella and Myriam Nyadjou, while Morocco managed just one successful attempt through Hanane Aït El Haj.

Kenza Chapelle, Meryem Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui all missed for the Atlas Lionesses as Cameroon secured another major knockout victory after eliminating defending champions Nigeria in the quarter-finals.

MUST READ: Black Queens demand outstanding bonuses and better support after WAFCON exit

The semi-final began cautiously, with both teams aware of the importance of the occasion.

Morocco, backed by a vocal home crowd, looked to control possession and create opportunities from the flanks, while Cameroon maintained a compact defensive shape and looked for chances on the counter.

Neither side managed to break the deadlock before half-time, with both defences largely keeping the opposing attackers under control.

Morocco increased the pressure after the interval, with coach Jorge Vilda making changes in an attempt to inject more attacking energy into his side.

The hosts continued to search for the opening goal, but Cameroon remained disciplined and frustrated Morocco throughout regulation time.

Late in extra time, Morocco received the biggest opportunity of the match when they were awarded a penalty in the 118th minute.

Tagnaout stepped up with the chance to potentially send the hosts into the final, but she failed to convert.

The miss kept Cameroon alive and ensured the semi-final would be decided by a penalty shootout.

READ ALSO: PSG beat Aston Villa to win UEFA Super Cup back-to-back, become first French team to make history

After 120 goalless minutes, the two teams headed to penalties, with Morocco hoping to continue their impressive record from previous WAFCON semi-final shootouts.

However, the hosts could not reproduce their earlier success.

Aït El Haj converted Morocco’s first penalty, but Chapelle missed the second.

Cameroon responded through Ngah, while Grace Mendoua missed their second attempt.

Bella then restored Cameroon’s advantage before Atiq failed to convert Morocco’s third penalty.

Nyadjou scored Cameroon’s fourth kick, leaving Ouzraoui needing to score to keep Morocco alive. She missed, confirming Cameroon’s 3-1 shootout victory.

READ MORE: Ghanaian players set to represent Black Stars in the Premier League 2026/27 season

The result is particularly significant for Cameroon, who had previously lost all three of their WAFCON penalty shootouts, including their semi-final defeat to Nigeria in 2018.

The Indomitable Lionesses have now eliminated defending champions Nigeria and hosts Morocco in successive knockout rounds to book their place in the WAFCON final.

For Morocco, the defeat ends their hopes of reaching a third consecutive WAFCON final and winning their first African title on home soil.

Cameroon, meanwhile, are now one victory away from being crowned African champions.