WAFCON 2026: Ghana forward Evelyn Badu refuses to dwell on Cameroon defeat

Black Queens forward Evelyn Badu says Ghana remain confident despite their narrow 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in their second Group D match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The Black Queens suffered their first loss of the tournament after Marie Gisele Ngah Manga converted a first-half penalty following a lengthy VAR review. Ghana pushed for an equaliser after the break, but Cameroon held on to claim all three points.

Badu was introduced in the second half by coach Kim Lars Björkegren and nearly made an instant impact. She had a goal ruled out for offside and also forced the Cameroonian defence into several difficult moments.

Despite the setback, the forward insisted the team remains optimistic ahead of its decisive final group match against Mali.

“I’m not feeling too disappointed because I believe in our quality, and I know we’re going to deliver in the next game. So I’m not too disappointed. We all know it’s football. Sometimes it’s good, and sometimes it’s bad.”

The result leaves Ghana needing victory over Mali on August 6 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

The Black Queens had opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Cape Verde before falling to Cameroon, leaving their qualification hopes in the balance.

Badu believes the squad has enough quality to bounce back and says the focus has already shifted to the final group fixture, where Ghana will be aiming to keep their knockout-stage ambitions alive.