The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations produced the expected football drama, but away from the goals, big results, and major stars, there were several stories that deserved more attention.

From a Senegalese forward who reinvented herself as a goalkeeper to a Malawian athlete who went from the Commonwealth Games to the WAFCON, these are five of the tournament’s most fascinating stories.

The striker who became Senegal’s goalkeeper

Adji Ndiaye may have had one of the strangest journeys at the tournament.

The 20-year-old Senegalese international was not always a goalkeeper. In 2024, she represented Senegal’s U20 team as a striker, finishing as the second-highest scorer at the WAFU Zone A U20 Championship.

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Two years later, she was protecting Senegal’s goal at the senior WAFCON.

And she was not simply filling in.

Ndiaye became one of the tournament's standout performers, earning consecutive Player of the Match awards.

Against hosts Morocco, she produced one of the most remarkable goalkeeping moments of the competition when she saved a penalty, only for the kick to be retaken.

She saved the second attempt too.

From the Commonwealth Games straight to WAFCON

While most footballers were preparing for the tournament, Malawi's Asimenye Simwaka was doing something completely different.

She was competing in athletics at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Simwaka is a sprinter, but she is also part of Malawi's football setup.

After competing in Scotland, she made the journey to Morocco and joined the Scorchers for their WAFCON campaign.

Malawi reached the WAFCON final in their first appearance at the tournament, while also securing qualification for their first-ever Women's World Cup.

The Ghana connection behind Ivory Coast's teenage sensation

One of the tournament's breakout stars was Ivory Coast's N'Sira Safi Ouédraogo.

The 18-year-old forward arrived in Morocco with plenty of potential and quickly turned it into performances.

Safi recorded five goal involvements during the group stage, becoming one of the most exciting young players at the tournament.

But there was another interesting part of her story.

Safi developed at the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana before moving to Denmark and joining FC Nordsjælland.

Cameroon found a goalkeeper who seemed built for pressure

Michaely Bihina's tournament could have been a story on its own.

The 22-year-old Cameroon goalkeeper became one of the defining figures of the Indomitable Lionesses' historic title-winning campaign.

Her biggest moment came in the semi-final against hosts Morocco.

With the match locked in a tense battle, Bihina saved a penalty in extra time.

The game eventually went to a shootout, where she became the hero again by stopping three penalties to send Cameroon into the final.

She then kept another clean sheet as Cameroon defeated Malawi 3-0 to win their first WAFCON title.

Her performances earned her the tournament's Golden Glove.

The sisters who carried Malawi into history

Then there were Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.

The sisters were not simply teammates. They became the faces of Malawi's extraordinary rise.

Tabitha, the elder sister, had already broken barriers by becoming the first Malawian woman to play professionally in Europe, while Temwa built her own reputation in the United States with Kansas City Current.

Years later, the two stood together on one of African football's biggest stages.

They helped Malawi reach the WAFCON final in its debut appearance and secure a place at the 2027 Women's World Cup for the first time in the country's history.

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