Why Michaely Bihina Is the Goalkeeper Making Waves at WAFCON 2026

Cameroon's Michaely Bihina has established herself as the breakout goalkeeper of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco. The 22-year-old shot-stopper has anchored the Indomitable Lionesses' defensive line, driving her country into the WAFCON final and securing qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Standout Tournament Performances

Historic Knockout of Nigeria: Bihina earned Woman of the Match honors after posting 9 saves and preventing 2.93 expected goals (xG) in Cameroon's 1-0 quarter-final win over 10-time champions Nigeria. The win ended a 13-year winless streak against the Super Falcons.

Semi-Final Shootout Heroics: Against host nation Morocco in the semi-finals, Bihina stopped an extra-time penalty before saving 3 spot-kicks in the deciding penalty shootout to collect her second consecutive Woman of the Match trophy.

World Cup Ticket Secured: By reaching the WAFCON semi-finals, Bihina helped guarantee Cameroon's automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

After claiming the best goalkeeper award in Portugal's top flight with Racing Power (14 clean sheets), Bihina signed with SL Benfica in February 2026, winning the League and Cup double in her debut months.

WAFCON 2026 Knockout Impact

Match / Stage	Key Performance Stats	Result / Outcome
Quarter-Final vs Nigeria	9 Saves | 2.93 xG Prevented | 9.6 Rating	1-0 Win (Woman of the Match)
Semi-Final vs Morocco	1 ET Penalty Save | 3 Shootout Saves	Advanced on Penalties (Woman of the Match)
Final vs Malawi	Facing Malawi's tournament-high attack	WAFCON Final Matchup

2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil & First-Time Debutants

The 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup will be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25, 2027. This 10th edition marks the first time South America hosts a Women's World Cup tournament.

Tournament Structure & Format

Teams: 32 nations divided into 8 groups of 4.

Matches: 64 total matches played across 8 host cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Recife, Fortaleza, and Salvador.

Knockout Stage: The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 16 single-elimination bracket.

Confirmed First-Time Debutants

With qualification underway, two nations have made history by qualifying for their first-ever FIFA Women's World Cup:

Malawi 🇲🇼: Reached the WAFCON semi-finals to punch their ticket to Brazil. In doing so, Malawi became the lowest-ranked team ever to qualify for a FIFA World Cup in either men's or women's football history.

Algeria 🇩🇿: Secured their debut World Cup appearance by advancing through the CAF continental qualifying rounds.

2027 Women's World Cup Summary

Detail	Tournament Specifications
Host Nation	Brazil 🇧🇷 (First South American host)
Dates	June 24, 2027 – July 25, 2027
Format	32 Teams | 64 Matches | 8 Groups
Confirmed Debutants	Algeria 🇩🇿 and Malawi 🇲🇼
Defending Champions	Spain 🇪🇸 (2023 Winners)