Women's AFCON 2026: The 5 standout stars of opening day

01.08.26 16:00 Africa Women Cup of Nations

Nigeria W

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Zambia W

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The opening day of the group stage at the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON) wrapped up on Wednesday, highlighted by a showdown between Cameroon and Mali in Group D.

Several players made a big impression during this first day of the 14th edition of Africa’s flagship women’s tournament.

Let’s take a closer look at the 5 standout attractions from the opening day of the 2026 Women's AFCON.

Barbra Banda (Zambia)

The Zambian Copper Queens striker stole the show against Egypt’s Cleopatra Queens, netting an incredible four-goal haul (super hat-trick) in the Group C clash.

This stunning performance catapulted her up the tournament’s top scorers leaderboard.

At 26, Barbra Banda plays her club football for Orlando Pride in the United States. Previously, she represented Green Buffaloes FC (Zambia), EdF Logroño (Spain), and Shanghai Shengli (China).

Temwa Chawinga (Malawi)

The 27-year-old forward was also decisive on opening day, bagging a hat-trick as Malawi’s Scorchers edged Nigeria’s Super Falcons in a thrilling 3-2 victory.

With three goals to her name, the Lilongwe native sits just one goal behind Zambia’s Barbra Banda in the race for the Golden Boot.

The 27-year-old currently plays in the United States with Kansas City Current, after previous spells with Kvarnsvedens IK 57 (Sweden) and Wuhan Jianghan University (China).

Ibtissam Jraidi (Morocco)

The 33-year-old striker played a pivotal role in the Atlas Lionesses’ dominant 4-0 win over Kenya’s Harambee Starlets.

Beyond her two goals, she dazzled with her intelligent movement and ability to outwit her direct opponents.

The former AS FAR (Morocco) star has played for Saudi club Al Ahli since 2022.

Inès Konan (Ivory Coast)

The Ivorian side made a dream tournament debut, cruising past Burkina Faso with a 4-1 victory.

This match was marked by a commanding display from striker Inès Konan, who bagged a brace and was at the heart of every attacking move.

At 24, Inès Konan began her career with Ivorian club FC Inter d'Abidjan before moving to France with FC Fleury 91 and later RC Strasbourg Alsace.

Marie Gisèle Divine Ngah Manga (Cameroon)

The Cameroonian team will be grateful to their star striker, who netted a brace in their 2-1 win over Mali.

After starting her career at home with Amazone FAP, she enjoyed spells in Turkey with Hakkarigücü, Galatasaray, and more recently Fenerbahçe.

She also played in Kazakhstan’s league with Okzhetpes.

Imed Ben Amara |

Editorar, fr

Imed Ben Amara - bilingual sports writer and web editor with experience in football content creation. Since 2021, he has contributed to Foot Africa, providing news coverage and analysis.

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