Nigeria face Cameroon in WAFCON quarter-finals after dramatic Group C finish

Nigeria will play Cameroon in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals after finishing second in a dramatic Group C, despite ending the group stage level on six points with Malawi and Zambia.

The Super Falcons secured their place in the last eight with a convincing 6-2 win over Egypt at the Rabat Olympic Stadium. The result completed one of the most complicated conclusions to the group stage, with all three of Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia finishing on six points after three matches.

However, the Confederation of African Football’s competition rules did not use overall group goal difference to separate the teams. Instead, the decisive calculations were based only on the matches between the three sides involved in the tie.

Malawi recorded the strongest head-to-head record and finished top of Group C. Nigeria took second place, while Zambia ended the group stage in third. Egypt lost all three of their matches and finished bottom without a point.

Nigeria’s campaign began with an unexpected 3-2 defeat by tournament newcomers Malawi. Sisters Tabitha Chawinga and Temwa Chawinga scored all of Malawi’s goals as they appeared to take control of the match.

Rasheedat Ajibade reduced the deficit by converting a penalty in the 91st minute, before Uchenna Kanu scored again in the 98th minute. The late recovery was not enough to prevent the Super Falcons from suffering a surprise defeat in their opening game.

They responded in their second match by beating Zambia 1-0. Asisat Oshoala gave Nigeria the lead in the eighth minute, but the game changed when defender Blessing Demehin was sent off in the 40th minute after fouling Barbra Banda.

Nigeria played for more than half the match with 10 players but defended resolutely to claim a crucial victory and keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

Qualification was decided in the final group match against Egypt, where Nigeria produced their most impressive display of the tournament. Oshoala opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 21st minute, and Gift Monday made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time.

Uchenna Kanu added a third in the 57th minute before Christy Ucheibe converted another penalty in the 81st minute. Ajibade scored Nigeria’s fifth from the spot in the 91st minute, and Joy Omewa completed the emphatic win in the 94th minute.

The result means Nigeria will meet Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses in one of the four quarter-final ties. The match-up is determined by the fixed knockout bracket, which is set before the tournament begins.

Under that format, the runner-up in Group C faces the winner of Group D. Because Nigeria finished behind Malawi, they were automatically paired with Cameroon, who topped Group D.

Cameroon secured first place in their section by beating Mali 2-1 and then defeating Ghana 1-0. The two victories gave the Indomitable Lionesses an unassailable position at the top before the final group matches.

Ghana can finish no higher than second after losing the decisive head-to-head match against Cameroon. The Black Queens will face Mali in their final group game, with the winner taking second place and advancing into a different part of the knockout bracket.

That means Nigeria could not have faced Ghana in the quarter-finals, regardless of the teams’ overall points or goal difference. The two West African rivals can now meet only if they both win their remaining matches and progress to a later round.

Nigeria’s quarter-final against Cameroon is scheduled for Sunday, August 9, at 18:00. The winner will reach the WAFCON 2026 semi-finals and secure a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.