WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals roundup: Malawi make more history, Nigeria and South Africa crash out
The drama ramped up a notch in the first knockout round of WAFCON 2026, as two previous title-winners exited the tournament.
WAFCON 2026 continued to deliver in the quarter-finals. Four tightly contested matches defied all predictions, with some underdogs creating history in the process.
Ivory Coast 1-2 Algeria
Two sides that had only one previous knockout appearance each kicked off this edition’s quarter-finals. Algeria had the most recent experience having just fallen short on penalties against Ghana last year, while Ivory Coast were making their first WAFCON appearance since their third-place finish in 2014.
Even so, it was the Elephants who looked the slightly better side in a very cagey start. Breakout star N’Sira Safi stepped up in the absence of the suspended Rosemonde Kouassi, causing all sorts of problems for the Algerian back line with constant movement on and off the ball. She had a solo strike ruled out for offside around the half-hour mark, but quickly set up the opener anyway with a well-placed strike that Chloe N’Gazi could only parry into the path of Inès Konan.
The duel between the striker and keeper continued until the 42nd minute, when Safi was controversially sent off upon VAR review for catching N’Gazi in the face while contesting for a loose ball, even though her foot wasn’t particularly high and she seemed to be pulling out of the challenge.
Aramatou Diakité didn’t look quite as strong in the other goal, failing to get close to substitute Inès Khiri’s long-range strike as Algeria equalised after half-time. They very nearly instantly gifted the lead back through a needless penalty, but Rébecca Elloh’s effort bounced out off the post. Seconds later, another shot from range beat Diakité with room to spare as Amira Ould Braham got the game-winner. With a numerical advantage, the Fennecs managed to see out their lead thereafter.
Morocco 2-1 South Africa
A repeat of the 2022 final in Rabat pit Morocco against South Africa earlier than expected.
Despite looking well off their best in the group stage, Banyana Banyana stepped up for this big game and very much made it an even contest. With very few chances created at either end, the margins were very fine indeed.
A well-worked team move and lovely cushioned finish from Sakina Ouzraoui opened the scoring after the half-hour mark, while provider Hanane Aït El Haj turned scorer quickly after half-time as she converted a penalty. Captain Ghizlane Chebbak picked up an injury when she was fouled in the box, and her team’s performance level noticeably dropped after she was stretchered off.
South African star striker Thembi Kgatlana brought her side back into the game in the 67th minute with a high-quality run and finish, setting up a grandstand climax. Banyana Banyana kept pushing but just couldn’t create a second big chance, as Morocco dug deep and held on to the one-goal margin.
Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
The biggest surprise of the quarter-finals came in Casablanca, where the 10-time champions and reigning title-holders took on a Cameroon team that had technically failed to qualify for the tournament, before being later awarded a spot thanks to the expansion to 16 teams.
The Indomitable Lionesses made the most of this opportunity, sending Nigeria packing before the semi-finals for the first time in WAFCON history. Young centre-back Maéva Nyadjou scored the only goal of the game with her side’s first attempt, drilling a direct free-kick precisely into the top corner.
Cameroon had to do quite a bit of defending for most of the match. They weren’t necessarily rock solid as a collective at all times, but goalkeeper Michaely Bihina was on another planet. She stopped each of the nine goal-bound shots she faced and also held on to a few other threatening crosses, earning a thoroughly deserved clean sheet.
Nigeria felt the absence of legendary striker Asisat Oshoala, whose injury from the last game limited her to just a few minutes of stoppage-time action. The Super Falcons certainly were not at their best in the final third, squandering the few promising openings they got. Some tactical changes from head coach Justine Madugu did not have the intended impact either, causing his side to crash out before the WAFCON semi-finals for the first time in all 14 editions of the tournament.
Malawi 2-1 Ghana
Malawi continued their fairytale run in their WAFCON debut by overcoming last year’s semi-finalists Ghana, with their attacking superstar starring yet again.
The two teams exchanged early goals. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah opened the scoring just seven minutes in, but the scores were level barely five minutes later as Temwa Chawinga’s deflected effort found the back of the net.
The rest of the match was a cagey affair, with both sides quite cautious of conceding again. Ghana had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half. The Black Queens posed a shade more of the attacking threat, but there was very little in it.
Malawi had the superior quality of players up front, and that’s what ultimately made the difference. A well-worked move between Rose Kadzere and Temwa Chawinga saw the latter run onto a wide through ball before bringing it inside, waiting to find the Montpellier forward’s run into the box. She just about took the ball into her path and applied a calm finish, scoring the decisive goal with just over 10 minutes on the clock.
Looking ahead: Semi-finals and World Cup qualification play-offs
The elimination of Nigeria and South Africa – the only two participants at this WAFCON to have previously won a title – guarantees a new champion this year. Morocco will face Cameroon in the headline semi-final, but Algeria will play Malawi earlier on Wednesday evening in a match that will give us a first-time finalist.
Meanwhile, the World Cup qualification play-offs (for two spots in the inter-confederation play-offs) among the losing quarter-finalists include a repeat of last year’s semi-final between Nigeria and South Africa. Côte d’Ivoire will face Ghana in the other match.
The winners of both games will enter the preliminary phase of the 2027 World Cup qualification inter-confederation play-offs, where they will play three games each. Should they advance to the final round, they will have to win a straight knockout match to earn a ticket to Brazil.
*Stats from Scoresway.
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