Ghana’s Black Queens suffered their first defeat at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after losing 1-0 to Cameroon on Sunday.
A first-half penalty was enough to give Cameroon all three points in their Group D match.
Cameroon took the lead through Marie Gisele Ngah Manga, who calmly converted a penalty after a long VAR review confirmed that Ghana’s Benedicte Simon had handled the ball.
Manga sent Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan the wrong way to score the only goal of the game.
Ghana came close to equalising when Doris Boaduwaa found herself in a good position, but her close-range effort was saved by the Cameroonian goalkeeper.
Cameroon controlled much of the first half by keeping possession, while the Black Queens struggled to create clear chances.
Although Ghana finished the first half strongly, they were unable to find the equaliser before the break.
At the start of the second half, Ghana coach Kim Lars Björkegren made changes to his team, bringing on Evelyn Badu to boost the attack.
The Black Queens continued to push for a goal and came close through Portia Boakye and Evelyn Badu, but neither could find the back of the net.
Badu thought she had scored the equaliser, but her goal was ruled out for offside during the build-up.
Despite their late pressure, Ghana could not find a goal and were forced to accept a 1-0 defeat.
The Black Queens will now turn their attention to their final Group D match against Mali on August 6, knowing that a victory will secure a place in the next stage of the tournament.
