Ghana and Cameroon in a winner-takes-control battle

Finishing top of Group D and staying unbeaten at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 is non-negotiable for both Ghana and Cameroon.

Victory in their opening matches: 2-0 for Ghana against debutants Cabo Verde and 2-1 for Cameroon over rivals Mali has given the two teams the necessary confidence coming into this battle of two titans. Two great footballing nations in Africa and the world.

This will be the 10th time that Ghana and Cameroon will meet at the WAFCON, with the Black Queens winning five times while the Indomitable Lionesses have come out top thrice and have drawn once. All nine of their previous WAFCON meetings have produced goals.

With this in mind, Sunday’s clash at the Moulay Rachid Stadium is expected to produce not just fireworks but a physical encounter between two sides that like to press high up.

Cameroon’s rebirth and more…

When the Indomitable Lionesses failed to qualify for last year’s WAFCON edition, it was unheard of—the kind of result that leaves one’s jaw on the floor!

The three-time WAFCON finalists in 2004, 2014 and 2016 at home and bronze medalists on three occasions in 2002, 2012 and 2018 are one of the top teams on the African continent. In fact, between the first WAFCON edition in 1998 and 2018, Cameroon reached every single semifinal except for the 2000 edition.

And then the decline began. They lost the quarterfinals in 2022 to Nigeria 1-0 and failed to qualify for both the 2024 and 2026 editions but they returned to the fold for the current tournament after it was expanded from 12 to 16 teams with rankings coming in handy.

“We came into this WAFCON with a plan. We know what we want to apply for with this national team with the current project. The idea is not just to win games. We want to build something, something that a football nation like Cameroon deserves. They deserve the best. There are many ways to win, and every single team wants to play good football. We want that,” Dimitri Lipoff, the Cameroon head coach, said in response to praise from Cameroonian media who praised him for transforming the team’s style of play since he took over.

Lipoff added that, “Like in every match, we are always ready. We have a lot of humility and respect and also national pride with us ahead of this game against Ghana.”

In song with her coach, midfielder Monique Ngock who came through the ranks at Canon Yaounde and Eclair Football Filles de Sa’a and played her first WAFCON at just 17 years back in 2022, is hungry for more success and more wins in this project being built with Lipoff.

“We are a family. We are a unique team. Cameroon, the continent (the continent). This image is one that we want to protect. We want to stay true to ourselves and showcase the energy that Cameroonians know about us. We want to defend our nation’s pride,” Ngock explained.

At 21, Ngock has already inspired Fleury in the French top-flight league to finish fifth before transferring to the NWSL, where she is featuring for Washington Spirit now. This club experience is what she is transforming into the national team.

Ghana looks to break the jinx.

The Black Queens of Ghana have not won their second group game in their last five tournament appearances, recording three draws and two defeats. Their last victory in a second group game was a 3-2 win over Tunisia in 2008.

But their clean sheet against Cabo Verde in their opening fixture, which was their first in six group matches, having conceded in each of their previous five, is a sign of better days. Goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan and the team’s commitment to staying intact will be tested against a Cameroonian side that is not shy to ask questions in front of the goal.

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After missing out on the 2022 edition, Ghana returned to the WAFCON last year, desperate to make amends for when they failed to get out of the group stages in 2018 at home. This resolve saw them finish third, and with the bronze medals, they have since embarked on a journey to conquer Africa.

To do that, they played two friendly games against the reigning European champions, England, losing 2-0 in Birmingham, and defeating Russia, 4-0, who are ranked 27^th globally.

“These friendly games prepared us for big teams like Cameroon. We are ready for this match. Pressure does not exist in our camp. We are in a good place—the whole group—we have built something good. It is difficult to score against us. ” We believe in ourselves,” Kim Lars Björkegren, Ghana’s head coach, said without hesitation.

“We are proud of our depth on the team. We think that we have a full squad. When I look at Cameroon, they are a team without big weaknesses. But three points would put us in a good position to achieve our goal of reaching the quarterfinals,” he added.

Midfielder Evelyn Badu, who features for the Montreal Roses in Canada, did not stutter when she said, “We are taking it one game at a time. We are going all out to make sure that we achieve our objectives at this tournament. We want to qualify for the quarterfinals and ultimately for the semifinals, which means the World Cup. We are locked in. Everyone on the team is ready.”

The Stat of the Day

This is their first WAFCON meeting since 2018, when their final group game ended 1-1. Hosts Ghana went ahead through the Black Queens’ current captain, Portia Boakye, in the 31^st minute before Christine Manie equalized from the penalty spot in the 41^st.

This will be their seventh group stage meeting. Ghana won four of the previous six, in 1998, 2000, 2006, and 2014. Cameroon won in 2010, while their 2018 meeting ended in a draw.