The WAFCON champs almost weren’t there at all. Plus: Feel-good NWSL moments from this weekend

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I went to the movies this weekend. Read until the end for a hint from Gotham forward Midge Purce about what I saw.

Today:

👑 Cameroon crowned champions

🥹 Emotional NWSL comebacks

🗺️ Expansion vs. relocation

Up first, a WAFCON final you had to see to believe …

Yesterday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final was unexpected in the best way. It pitted a tournament debutant against a three-time runner-up who wasn’t even meant to be in the 2026 edition of the continental competition. In the end, Cameroon’s experience won out as Malawi’s debut magic dried up one game too soon.

The Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon really lived up to their nickname, defeating Malawi 3-0 with all three goals coming in the first half. The team’s standout scorer of the tournament, Marie Ngah Manga, tallied two goals, with another from Naomi Eto.

For Cameroon, it was a much-needed breakthrough after previously falling at the same stage three times to Nigeria (2004, 2014 and 2016). If you missed the match or just want to relive it, we have you covered here.

Cameroon drew two games this tournament and never lost. They only conceded twice (one of which was this very familiar golazo from Cape Verde’s Ivania Tavares Moreira that took us back to the men’s World Cup this summer). Cameroon’s dominance made it easy to forget they didn’t initially qualify for this year’s WAFCON. 

In November, the Confederation of African Football spontaneously decided to expand the tournament’s format from 12 to 16 teams for the first time. Cameroon, Mali, Ivory Coast and Egypt were admitted via their FIFA ranking.

Valentine Nguele, Cameroon’s first female head coach, was hired just six weeks before the tournament.

With their victory, Cameroon became just the fourth nation to lift the WAFCON trophy since 1998 and the third to win both the men’s and women’s Africa Cup of Nations (alongside Nigeria and South Africa).

The team’s goalkeeper, Michaely Bihina, received the Golden Glove award for her outstanding performances throughout the tournament, and Malawi forward Temwa Chawinga earned the Golden Boot in a tightly contested race with Ngah and Zambia striker Barbra Banda.

The award isn’t a consolation prize. The Current star had a standout performance alongside her sister Tabitha, helping their nation qualify for its first Women’s World Cup by making it to the semifinals of this tournament alongside Cameroon, Morocco and South Africa.

🎧 More: Tamerra Griffin recaps the exciting final, the tournament as a whole and what’s next with producer Theo Lloyd-Hughes on today’s “Full Time” podcast episode.

A special sister bond

I was recently reminded how important sisters are in my own life, so I really enjoyed Melanie Anzidei’s piece on how the Chawinga sisters led Malawi’s historic run.

WAFCON put Malawi on full display as they went from the lowest-ranked African nation in this competition (153rd in the FIFA table in June) to tournament runners-up, thanks in large part to the sisters.

It wasn’t necessarily an introduction — Temwa (27 years old) is a two-time NWSL MVP, and Tabitha (30) has won the Coupe de France with PSG and the French league title with European powerhouse OL Lyonnes — but it was a reminder of how special they are.

The two have been helping each other shine since the beginning. My favorite anecdote: In true older-sister fashion, Tabitha initially paid for the plane ticket for Temwa to sign her first European contract with Kvarnsveden in Sweden. She convinced the club’s owner to bet on her sister, just as she’s been doing since they were little. ❤️

Let’s keep the good vibes going with an NWSL update. Over to Meg …

The NWSL didn’t quite have the same chaos as two weekends ago, but the thing I’ll remember most from this week is the emotions of three key returning players: the Thorns’ Caiya Hanks getting a storybook moment in Portland and Sydney Leroux and Savy King returning to Angel City’s lineup.

If you only watch one clip from this weekend, make it Hanks’ game-winning goal. Hanks came into Saturday’s game in the final minutes and made the most of her return. After 14 months away due to an ACL tear, Hanks, 21, scored the winner in the final seconds of the 2-1 victory over the Pride.

There’s not much like an electric North End in Providence Park, but Hanks’ hugs with her teammates, Morgan Weaver (returning from her own long injury layoff) and Olivia Moultrie (who just tore her ACL), cemented how emotional these moments are for the players.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s Monday, and I’m still tearing up a little watching this again.

For King, this wasn’t her big return from suffering a cardiac event, which happened earlier this spring, but a return from a second unexpected setback — the 21-year-old broke her foot in April and required surgery.

Neither King’s nor ninth-place Angel City’s season has gone to plan, but thanks to the 1-1 draw against the Spirit (King provided the assist on the equalizer) yesterday, they’re only two points back from a playoff spot.

Leroux entered in stoppage time of the tied game for her first minutes since 2024. The 36-year-old also made a showstopping entrance before the match, making the most of Angel City’s Disney Princess Night.

As an Angel City original and one of the three remaining NWSL players who have been in the league since the inaugural 2013 season, Leroux’s presence has been deeply missed.

King and Leroux’s simultaneous returns weren’t totally a coincidence, as the two have been training together for months.

“It’s really cool to be a part of her comeback story as well and just really excited to see everything that she does for this team in the future,” King said last night. “She’s a great leader, and she is going to do a lot for this team.”

Expansion or relocation?

Expansion has been the story of the NWSL for the past five years. This year, the 16-team league is officially double the size it was when it launched in 2013, with two more teams joining in 2028 in Columbus and Atlanta. In 2024, Bay FC set the expansion fee expectation at $53 million, which has since ballooned to more than $200 million. But now, with teams such as Louisville seemingly getting left behind in resources, Asli Pelit explores whether the NWSL’s next move should be to relocate existing teams.

‘Ted Lasso’ and WoSo’s biggest problem

Many male former soccer players have entered the coaching ranks, but professional women’s leagues haven’t provided the same pathways for women. The topic was unavoidable when “Ted Lasso,” a show about one of America’s most famous fictional coaches, decided to center women’s soccer.

There is a certain irony in exploring that history through this TV series, Asli writes, because Lasso’s own coaching career is built on precisely the kind of opportunity women have rarely received. Art does imitate life, after all.

Speaking of “Ted Lasso,” 79 percent of respondents to last week’s poll said they were excited to watch the new season!

Coaching from the heart: The Royals are in the midst of one of their best seasons to date (this wonder-strike from Narumi Miura is just the latest example). At the core of the group is 31-year-old coach Jimmy Coenraets, who spoke with The Athletic about his journey to the NWSL, his coaching methods and the purpose he’s found after nearly six heart surgeries.

Leader’s mentality: What is the single most important trait a leader should have? Elise Devlin asked that question of several sports figures, including Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta. I really liked her answer.

Heart and soul: Summit co-captain Janine Sonis is another leader who has shown her merit this season with her hometown club. Tamerra argues Sonis deserves more credit for her role.

And finally: The moment you’ve all been waiting for … What movie did I see this weekend? I’m not saying Midge Purce did this celebration because I watched “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” but I’m not not saying it.

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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