Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026: Cameroon and Nigeria set for Casablanca quarter-final

Cameroon will face holders Nigeria in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 on Sunday, with the match scheduled to begin at 19:00 French time and 18:00 in Cameroon.

The tie will be played at the Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca, Morocco. In Cameroon, the game will be broadcast live on Canal+ Sport Afrique.

There is still uncertainty over television coverage in France, despite beIN Sports holding the broadcasting rights. No confirmed French channel has been specified for the quarter-final.

Cameroon were the first team to secure their place in the last eight after finishing top of their group. The Indomitable Lionesses opened their campaign with victories over Mali and Ghana, beating Mali 2-1 before recording a 1-0 success against Ghana. They then drew 1-1 with Cape Verde.

Nigeria, by contrast, qualified as runners-up in their section. The defending champions suffered an unexpected 3-2 defeat by newcomers Malawi in their opening match, but recovered with a 1-0 win over Zambia. They completed the group stage by defeating Egypt 6-2.

The quarter-final presents a formidable challenge for Cameroon, given their record against the Super Falcons at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Across 13 meetings in the competition, Cameroon have beaten Nigeria only once. That victory came in the 2012 third-place play-off, when the Indomitable Lionesses won 1-0.

Nigeria have won the other 11 encounters, including matches decided by penalties, while the sides have drawn only once. That stalemate was a 2-2 result in the group stage in 2004. The record covers meetings between 1998 and 2022.

Cameroon were also denied a place at the 2024 finals by Nigeria after a decisive qualifying tie. The first leg ended 0-0 before Nigeria won the return match 1-0.

Victory over the ten-time African champions would take Cameroon into the semi-finals for the first time since 2018. They will need to overcome a long-standing record against one of the continent’s most successful women’s teams to achieve that feat.

The match therefore carries significance beyond a place in the last four. Cameroon enter the fixture as group winners, but Nigeria’s history in this competition and their recovery after losing to Malawi underline the scale of the task awaiting the Indomitable Lionesses in Casablanca.

The game will start at 18:00 local time in Cameroon and at 19:00 in France. Canal+ Sport Afrique will provide live coverage for viewers in Cameroon, while the French broadcast arrangements remain unconfirmed.

Prudence Ahanogbe