Nigeria lose three WAFCON 2026 awards to Cameroon stars abroad

Nigeria lost three major individual awards at WAFCON 2026, with Cameroon’s Marie Gisèle Ngah Manga, Michaely Bihina and Monique Ngock taking the honours. Ngah Manga was named Player of the Final, Benfica goalkeeper Bihina won Best Goalkeeper and Washington Spirit midfielder Ngock was chosen as Player of the Tournament.

Cameroon beat Malawi in the final to claim their first WAFCON title. The result followed Nigeria’s exit in the quarter-finals, while the Super Falcons also missed qualification for the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Cameroon had returned to the competition after initially failing to qualify.

Ngah Manga played a decisive role in Cameroon’s run. The Fenerbahçe forward scored twice in the opening 2-1 victory over Mali, including a penalty in the 72nd minute after a VAR review. She added the only goal against Ghana and scored twice more in the final. Her five goals also earned her a share of the Golden Boot alongside Côte d’Ivoire’s Inès Konan, Malawi’s Temwa Chaŵinga and Zambia’s Barbra Banda.

Bihina’s award recognised a tournament that included a crucial semi-final contribution against Morocco. The 22-year-old saved four penalties in the shootout that sent Cameroon into the final, then made further important stops as her side held off Malawi. She joined Benfica in January 2026 on a contract running to 2029 after three-and-a-half seasons with Racing Power in Portugal.

Ngock returned to the WAFCON after Cameroon missed the previous edition and helped overturn the team’s earlier history against Nigeria. Cameroon had lost 1-0 to the Super Falcons in the 2022 quarter-finals, but Ngock was part of the side that defeated the defending champions at the same stage four years later. She moved to Washington Spirit after helping Fleury 91 finish fifth in France’s top division in 2025-26.

Nigeria had collected the same three major awards at the previous WAFCON and won the title. Rasheedat Ajibade was Player of the Tournament, Chiamaka Nnadozie was Best Goalkeeper and Esther Okoronkwo was Player of the Final after scoring once and providing two assists in the 3-2 victory over Morocco. The triumph was Nigeria’s record-extending 10th African title.

In the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations data, Nigeria finished first with 9 points from three matches, winning all three and scoring eight goals while conceding four. Their recent results were a 2-1 defeat by Portugal, a 2-2 draw with Poland, wins over Jamaica and Zimbabwe, and a 2-2 draw with Jordan.