The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) has given rise to a new national hero in Cameroon, as 22-year-old goalkeeper Michaely Bihina’s extraordinary shot-stopping heroics have propelled the Indomitable Lionesses to their first continental final in a decade and secured their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Bihina’s standout performances across the tournament have already sparked calls from passionate Cameroonian fans for a public statue to honor her game-changing contributions to the national side. The young Benfica shot-stopper has emerged as one of the tournament’s biggest breakout stars, claiming player-of-the-match awards in two of Cameroon’s most high-stakes victories: a historic quarter-final upset over defending champions Nigeria and a tense semi-final win against host nation Morocco.
Her career-defining semi-final display against Morocco in Rabat encapsulated her calm under pressure. After 118 minutes of goalless play, the host side was awarded a late penalty that would have sealed a dramatic match-winning victory. Bihina dove right to push away Fatima Tagnaout’s spot kick, forcing the tie into a penalty shootout. Having saved one penalty in regular extra time, Bihina had already set her sights on more: “When I saved the first penalty during the game, I said inside my mind if we go to penalties I think I can do more. I have to catch minimum three penalties.” The young goalkeeper lived up to her promise, denying three more Moroccan attempts from Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq and Sakina Ouzraoui to secure a 3-1 shootout win, capping a total of four saved penalties across the match. After the game, she revealed her success was no accident: “I studied the penalties of Morocco girls during all the competition.”
Weeks earlier, Bihina set a new Wafcon finals record with nine saves in Cameroon’s 1-0 quarter-final upset of defending champion Nigeria, a result that not only booked Cameroon’s World Cup spot but also ended the Indomitable Lionesses’ long losing streak against the Super Falcons. Speaking to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) after the win, she called the moment historic: “Playing in my first Wafcon and being able to beat Nigeria and qualify for the World Cup is historic. I am so excited and happy that as a team we have achieved this. We had an objective – to change the history of our national team against Nigeria.”
Across five matches at the tournament, Bihina has kept three clean sheets, anchoring an unbeaten Cameroon run that comes just two years after the side missed out on qualification for the 2024 Wafcon. The Indomitable Lionesses, who have lost three previous Wafcon finals all to Nigeria, will now face tournament debutants Malawi in Sunday’s 2026 final (19:00 GMT), gunning for their first-ever continental crown.
Bihina’s rapid rise to the top of African women’s football is a story of unexpected position change and relentless hard work. Born in December 2003 in Ekounou, a neighborhood of Cameroon’s capital Yaounde, she began playing football as a striker, but her coach suggested a switch after noting her height. “My coach told me that I was too tall to be a striker and that I would do better as a goalkeeper,” she told Caf. “I did that and six months later I was summoned to the national team.”
Her professional career took her overseas at just 15, when she joined Portuguese second-tier side Racing Power. She helped the club win the second division title in 2022-23, and was named the Portuguese top flight’s best goalkeeper the following season after Racing Power finished third. In February 2026, she secured a dream move to Portuguese giants Benfica on a three-year contract, and already won a domestic league and cup double with the club in her first six months.
Now, Bihina is widely considered one of the top contenders for the Wafcon Player of the Tournament award, alongside Malawi’s star Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, who have dominated the tournament’s scoring charts. Ahead of Sunday’s final against Malawi, Bihina says she remains grounded, focused on another team-first performance: “For me personally, it has been a long journey of hard work and discipline. I continue to work with humility and try to improve every day. It will be a good game. We try to give our best like every game. We know we will challenge.”
Whatever the result of Sunday’s final, Bihina has already cemented her place in Cameroonian and African women’s football history. A tournament win would simply cap a breakout run that has introduced her as the most exciting new goalkeeper on the continent.