Women’s AFCON: Cameroon faces Morocco in semifinals today.

The historical background leaves the Valentine Nguele-managed team sitting as a strong force in today’s showdown against the host selection.

This, a faction of pundits say, is so especially following the brilliant victory that the goalkeeper, Michaely Bihina and her teammates, registered against the competition’s record 10-time winners and title holders, Nigeria in the quarterfinals. 

Morocco’s performances in the competition in the last four years, have however left other observers rating the Atlas Lionesses as favorites for a place in Sunday’s final, compared to the Indomitable Lionesses.

The North Africans reached the finals of the last two editions of the competition, where they lost to South Africa and Nigeria in 2022 and 2024 respectively, securing a historic first ever qualification ticket to the World Cup in the process. 

Lionesses unbothered 

Speaking in a pre-match press conference yesterday, Coach Valentine Nguele, said Cameroon is not disturbed by the pre-match ratings nor the massive crowd that is expected troop in to support the Moroccans as the home team. 

The tactician said the Indomitable Lionesses, whose victory over Nigeria in the quarterfinals last Sunday, also earned them a qualification ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will focus on effectively executing their game plan, which she said, is aimed at taming the host selection.

“The pressure isn’t on us. It is entirely on the host nation. They are playing in front of their home crowd and an entire country is expecting a result,” the Indomitable Lionesses lead trainer stated.

“Why should our young players feel pressured? Every athlete dreams of playing in a packed, roaring stadium. Our job is simply to dictate the tempo and impose our style. We have a game plan, and the players need to execute it and trust the instructions,” the tactician added.

Team captain, Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné, who accompanied the coach at the press conference, made a similar assessment.

The winger, who is representing the Indomitable Lionesses team in the final phase of the Women’s AFCON for a-record eighth time, said the players are aware of the setbacks that Cameroon has faced in the continental championship over the years. 

She, however, insisted that the current group will not allow itself to be distracted by the memories nor the repeated talks about Morocco’s status as a more powerful force than Cameroon at the moment. 

“The 2016 final is in the back of our minds. But this is a fresh, highly focused group. When you commit to putting in the hard work during training, everything else falls into place,” the CSKA Moscow winger added.

“We are taking this one match at a time, respecting our opponents and remembering how hard we worked to get here. We came here to play with joy. But that doesn’t mean we don’t grasp what’s at stake. We are proud of how far we have come. But now our full focus is on the next task ahead,” the 37-year-old added. 

Enter Morocco’s head coach

The head coach of Morocco, Jorge Vilda, told reporters in his pre-match press conference that the Atlas Lionesses’ main priority at the moment after qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, is to eliminate Cameroon and reach the final of the ongoing tournament.

“The players are giving everything. The team is confident and in high spirits, ahead of the match. When these big moments come, my players bring out their absolute best version, and that is what we want to offer today” Vilda said.

The tactician, who led the Atlas Lionesses team to the final of the 2024 tournament, however played down on the tag placed on Morocco as favorites against Cameroon.

“We don’t feel like the favorites in this moment. We know we are facing a very strong Cameroon team. They have done a great job in this competition, just as we have worked and performed well throughout all our matches,” he said.

“I expect a very balance, tough game that will ultimately be decided by small details. But I am confident that if my team plays at our true level, we will win tomorrow,” Vilda who won the 2023 Women’s World Cup with Spain, further argued. 

By Naomi Nkfunchang, Journalism student on internship

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3876 of Wednesday August 12, 2026