On August 6, 2026, Cape Verde will seek to conclude its participation in the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations on a positive note as they face off against Cameroon, who has already secured their spot in the quarter-finals and is guaranteed to finish atop Group D. This crucial encounter will take place at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, starting at 21:00 local time (20:00 GMT).

Match Facts and Insights

Having been eliminated after suffering defeats in their first two matches, Cape Verde no longer harbors hopes of advancing in the tournament. Conversely, Cameroon, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, has confirmed their progression to the knockout stage following two victories. Historically, Cameroon has faced teams making their debut in the Women’s AFCON ten times, achieving a commendable record of six wins, two draws, and two losses. Notably, their only two defeats against debutants date back to the inaugural tournament in 1998, when they lost 3-1 to Ghana in the group stage and suffered a heavy 6-0 defeat to Nigeria in the semi-finals.

In the years since, Cameroon has remained dominant, with the only exceptions to their success against newcomers occurring in 1998. Their most recent match against a debutant resulted in a 1-0 victory over Botswana during the 2022 AFCON qualifiers, a win that allowed them to qualify for the intercontinental playoffs of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Impressively, Cameroon has scored in nine of their ten encounters with debutants in the Women’s AFCON, with the only exception being the aforementioned loss to Nigeria.

Cape Verde's Quest for First Points

For Cape Verde, this tournament has been particularly challenging, having lost their opening matches against Ghana and Mali. This upcoming match will mark their first encounter in the Women’s AFCON against a team outside of West Africa, as they strive to earn their first points in the competition. Historically, four of the last five debutants in the Women’s AFCON managed to secure at least one point, with Malawi achieving this in the current edition, while Burkina Faso, Togo, and Botswana did so in 2022. The only team to finish without points was Burundi.

Evy Pereira made history by scoring Cape Verde's first-ever goal in the Women’s AFCON, equalizing at 1-1 during their narrow 3-2 loss to Mali. Additionally, Alivia Perry netted a late goal in the 88th minute against Mali, marking the latest goal scored by Cape Verde in the tournament. Their performance against Ghana was notable as well, with Cape Verde attempting ten shots—their highest total in a Women’s AFCON match. They successfully converted two of their three shots on target against Mali and recorded their best possession rate of 55% in the tournament during that match, a significant improvement from the 36% they managed against Ghana.

As Cape Verde heads into their final match, they aim not only to improve their standing but also to build a foundation for future competitions.

As reported by cafonline.com.