The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations produced several outstanding individual performances, with Michaely Bihina, Monique Ngock and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga emerging as some of the tournament’s biggest stars.
Bihina was recognised as the Best Goalkeeper of the competition after a series of impressive displays between the posts.
Her performances played an important role in her team’s campaign, with her composure, reflexes and ability to deal with pressure standing out throughout the tournament.
Cameroon’s Monique Ngock claimed the Best Player award, underlining her influence during a tournament in which the Central Africans enjoyed a memorable campaign.
Ngock was a key figure in Cameroon’s success, combining technical quality, creativity and attacking intelligence to make a significant impact.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga finished the tournament as the Best Goalscorer after finding the net five times.
Chawinga was one of the standout attacking players at the tournament and consistently posed a threat to opposing defences.
Her five goals placed her among the leading scorers, while she also contributed two assists, giving her seven direct goal involvements — the highest total recorded by any player at the competition.
The individual honours highlight the quality and influence of three players who made significant contributions to the 2026 WAFCON.
While Bihina’s goalkeeping excellence earned her the goalkeeper prize and Ngock’s all-round performances secured the player-of-the-tournament award, Chawinga’s clinical finishing saw her take home the Golden Boot.
Their recognition provides a fitting reflection of a tournament that showcased the growing quality of women’s football across Africa.
