Ghana suffered their first defeat of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as Cameroon secured a 1-0 victory in their second Group D match on Sunday.
Marie Gisele Ngah Manga’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Cameroon marked their return to the tournament with a narrow win over the Black Queens.
Cameroon were awarded the spot-kick after a lengthy VAR review, following an incident in which the ball made contact with Benedicte Simon’s hand. Manga remained composed from 12 yards, sending Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan the wrong way to give her side the lead.
Ghana had an opportunity to respond soon afterwards when Doris Boaduwaa went close from inside the penalty area. However, her effort could not beat the Cameroonian goalkeeper as the Black Queens looked for a way back into the contest.
Cameroon controlled much of the opening period and enjoyed the greater share of possession, leaving Ghana to chase an equaliser. The Black Queens finished the first half strongly but could not find a way through before the interval, with Cameroon taking their 1-0 advantage into the break.
Ghana manager Kim Lars Bjorkegren responded at half-time by bringing Evelyn Badu into the game as he looked to add greater attacking threat.
The Black Queens continued to push for an equaliser after the restart and created further opportunities through Portia Boakye and Badu. Neither chance resulted in a goal, while Badu later appeared to have brought Ghana level.
Her effort, however, was ruled out for offside in the build-up, denying Ghana what would have been a crucial equaliser.
Ghana continued to search for a way back into the match during the closing stages, but Cameroon held on to claim all three points. The result leaves the Black Queens needing victory in their final group fixture to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Ghana will play Mali on 6 August in their final Group D match, knowing a win would secure their place in the knockout phase.
