WAFCON 2026: Lionesses of Cameroon adrift

Three weeks before the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON), scheduled from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco, the Cameroon national team is sailing without sight. Since the dismissal of Jean-Baptiste Bisseck on October 29, 2025, following the elimination of the Indomptable Lionesses against Algeria (1-2 in Oran, 0-1 in Yaoundé), the three-time vice-champion of Africa selection still has no regular coach. An institutional vacuum all the more disturbing as Cameroon was drafted a few days later by the CAF, thanks to the expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.

Qualification in by luck?
In a letter dated 3 November 2025, the Confederation of African Football formalized this reform, offering Cameroon an unexpected qualification based on the FIFA ranking. But since this favorable outcome, nothing or almost: no confirmed staff, no internship program made public, no expanded list. 

"One has the impression of a sustained qualification, not assumed,"

 observes a sports consultant based in Douala. 

The contrast is striking with the opponents of group D in which the band of Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné will evolve in Fez. Ghana has already started their preparations with 26 preselected players. Cape Verde, a novice in the competition, also launched a group to prepare for their first Women’s AFCON. Even Mali, a discreet outsider, is organizing behind the scenes. Meanwhile, the Lionesses who will be at their 13th participation, remain suspended to a federal decision that is slow in coming.

 'At this level, every week counts. The delay in planning will pay cash," 

warned a former Cameroonian international who requested anonymity.

Preparation in suspense
Behind this uncertainty, many point to the governance of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot). 

" It is about the former player, emphasizes a management by ambush which consists of waiting for the last moment, improvising, betting on raw talent and hoping for a start". But it sometimes reaches its limits. "One does not prepare an AFCON like a friendly match," 

she continues. The absence of a head coach sends a signal of instability to the players and partners. At 20 days of the tournament, the question is no longer just technical: it is institutional.

Cameroon bets on improvisation (?)
The stakes far exceed the group stage. The first two teams will advance to the quarter-finals. The semi-finalists will qualify directly for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The teams eliminated in quarter-finals will still play off to snatch an intercontinental spot. In other words, the 2026 Women’s AFCON is a gateway to the World Cup. For Cameroon, a historically ambitious nation of African women’s football, the opportunity is major.

It remains to be seen if the Indomitable Lionesses will be able to transform this situation into their favor. Without a clear technical guideline, without structured preparation, the risk is that of an additional participation.

 "The players have experience and talent", tempers an observer close to the locker room. "But they cannot be asked to compensate indefinitely for organizational deficiencies." In Fez, next March, the field will tell if the challenge of improvisation can still hold.