WAFCON 2026: How Much Ghana Earned After Surprise Quarter-Final Defeat to Malawi
- Malawi stunned Ghana 2-1 on Sunday, August 9, in one of the biggest upsets in Women's Africa Cup of Nations history
- A second-half goal from Rose Kadzere sealed the Scorchers' place in the semi-finals and earned them a 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup berth
- Ghana's quarter-final exit carries a prize money figure that falls short of what the Black Queens collected at the previous edition
PAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Ghana's Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign came to an abrupt end on Sunday, August 9, after Malawi claimed a 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals to book a historic semi-final berth and a place at the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil.
Rose Kadzere struck the decisive blow in the second half to complete a stunning turnaround, despite Ghana having taken the lead as early as the seventh minute through Chantelle Boye-Horkah.
Source: Twitter
Ghana's World Cup dreams shattered by Malawi
The result ended Ghana's hopes of reaching the global finals for the first time since 2007.
The result extended one of the most remarkable stories this tournament has produced.
Malawi, appearing at the Women's AFCON for the first time, had already beaten defending champions Nigeria and Egypt in the group stage before topping Group C.
Their quarter-final victory over Ghana makes them one of only a handful of debutants to reach the last four of the competition, while simultaneously securing one of Africa's four automatic spots at next year's Women's World Cup.
Ghana's prize money after quarter-final exit
Ghana is set to receive $200,000 in prize money from CAF.
That figure represents a significant drop from the $350,000 they collected for finishing third at the 2025 edition of the tournament.
CAF increased prize money across the board for this year's competition, with the overall winner now set to receive $2 million, double the amount offered at the previous edition.
The participation fee for all competing nations also rose to $150,000. However, CAF has not publicly communicated any change to the quarter-final prize money allocation, and per Ghanafa.org, quarter-finalists received $200,000 at the last edition, suggesting that figure is likely unchanged despite the increases elsewhere.
The financial reward, though, was secondary to what Ghana came into the tournament chasing.
The Black Queens had set their sights on a first WAFCON title, having finished as runners-up on three occasions, and on securing automatic World Cup qualification. They fell short on both counts.
Ghana's defeat leaves Malawi, alongside the remaining semi-finalists, to contest the four spots that will carry African representation to Brazil in 2027.
How Ghana can still qualify for Women's World Cup
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana’s hopes of reaching the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup remain alive despite their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Malawi.
The Black Queens must now take the longer route through the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Source: YEN.com.gh
