Cameroon will meet Malawi in Sunday's Women's Africa Cup of Nations final after stunning tournament hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday, winning 3-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
Michaely Bihina, whose heroics had taken Cameroon past Nigeria in the quarterfinals, saved penalties from Kenza Chapelle, Maryame Atiq and Sakina Diki Ouzraoui in the shootout and from Fatima Tagnaout in extra time as the Indomitable Lionesses return to the final for the first time since they were defeated by Nigeria on home soil a decade ago.
Morocco, finalists in the last two editions on home soil, will now meet Algeria in Saturday's third-place playoff.
As they had done against Nigeria in the last round, Cameroon again delivered an outstanding defensive display to deny the hosts, who were awarded a penalty in the second half of extra time after Myriam Nyadjou appeared to raise an arm to Ouzraoui.
While Cameroon were slightly more adventurous than they had been against Nigeria in the quarterfinal, they nonetheless ceded possession and initiative to a vibrant Morocco side from the off.
Easther Maya Kith had to head clear from the edge of her box twice during the opening exchanges, setting the tone for what followed, with Ouzraoui and Hanane Aït El Haj eye-catching from the off with their interplay down the hosts' right.
Morocco felt they should have had a penalty inside the opening five minutes when an Ouzraoui effort appeared to strike Nyadjou's hand in the box, prompting head coach Jorge Vilda to get his complaints in early about officiating.
Cameroon posed a threat as well, however, with Khadija Er-Rmichi having to clear her lines after a foray down the flank from Naomi Eto, although a decent early chance fell to Sanaa Mssoudy as she glanced the bar with a header in the 13th minute after another fine exchange between Ouzraoui and Ait El Haj.
The Central Africans became increasingly physical as they sought to stymie Morocco's momentum, with Monique Ngock booked for bringing down Ouzraoui in the middle of the park, before the impressive Eto dived in bravely with a risky block-cum-tackle in the box to deny Ghizlane Chebbak.
Penalty? Saved. Penalty? Saved. Penalty? Saved. Penalty? Saved. Michaely. ������#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026
pic.twitter.com/ZMtLlNjLSx- CAF (@CAF_Online) August 13, 2026
Genevieve Ngo Mbeleck was perhaps fortunate to evade a booking after a ferocious tackle on Élodie Nakkach, although the aggressive challenges failed to break Morocco's midfield control.
Er-Rmichi punched clear from an Achta Toko Njoya freekick in the 43rd minute as Cameroon made a rare attempt, and at the other end, Bihina was called into action to hold a speculative low drive.
Morocco's 66-percent possession at the break was testament to their control, although there was evidence of jitters as well -- Er-Rmichi's viscerally emotional singing of the Cherifian Anthem, their desperate pleading for the early penalty, and occasional tetchiness between Ouzraoui and Ait El Haj as they blamed the other for poor communication.
Morocco began to move through the gears after the break, with Cameroon increasingly fraught as they sought to keep the hosts at bay.
Mssoudy struck the side netting in the 59th minute as the Atlas Lionesses got a sight of goal, Ouzraoui playing in her in with a neat reverse pass that appeared to catch Bihina off guard.
The 22-year-old keeper -- impenetrable against Nigeria -- demonstrated her reflexes and her bravery moments later as she scrambled through three Morocco players to pounce on the ball after another dangerous Ouzraoui delivery.
As Morocco pressed, space opened up for Cameroon.
Marie Ngah Manga should have done better when attempting to meet Eto's cross, after the Sassuolo forward had been found by a sumptuous raking ball from deep by Ngock.
Michaela-Batya Abam nearly picked out Fadimatou Kome after again getting the better of Zineb Redouani inside the last 20 minutes, and Ngah Manga should have done better with a delivery after again finding space behind the leftback and tearing into the box.
Vilda turned to Tagnaout late on to try and find some magic, and the AS FAR forward -- a shadow of her usual self so far this tournament -- ignited the final minutes of the match in the hosts' favour.
Cameroon struggled to adapt to her presence, and as, yet again, she stole into space behind Yvana Makana Yakana, her 89th-minute cross found fellow substitute Imane Saoud, although her attempt was smothered by Ousmanou Doudou before she could pull the trigger during an increasingly frantic finale.
In the 93rd minute, Morocco thought they'd won it when Ouzraoui burst through on goal, only for the onrushing Bihina to deny her. The ball went straight up the other end and Abam got a sight of goal, her athleticism taking her beyond the Morocco defenders, only to send a wild shot over Er-Rmichi's bar with almost the last kick of the game.
The pace dropped in extra time, with Morocco again probing without heaping too much pressure on their opponents, while the visitors sought to slow down the contest with breaks in play.
Ngah Manga, now visibly tiring, perhaps ought to have done better when her control let her down after being picked out by a lofted ball in the 99th minute, while Nouhaila Benzia saved Morocco twice in quick succession when she tackled the ball from Toko Njoya, before blocking Abam's thumping follow-up for a corner.
Bihina was called into action in the 106th minute as Tagnaout and Ouzraoui bore down on goal, with the young keeper ultimately getting away with it despite her handling not being the most convincing.
The decisive moment of extra time came in the 112th minute, when Nyadjou, whose sensational freekick had eliminated Nigeria in the last round, appeared to raise a hand to Ouzraoui in the box.
Ouzraoui immediately signalled to the official, with Morocco's bench, staff and the majority of the 19,000 in attendance at the Moulay El Hassan pressuring referee Vincent Amedome with one voice to award the penalty.
After an extended pause, she was called to the monitor, and promptly awarded the spotkick to the hosts, only for Bihina to deny Tagnaout -- who struck her penalty unconvincingly.
So to penalties, where Ait El Haj and Ngah Manga both scored before Bihina denied Chapelle, who had been brought on specifically to take a spotkick, and Mendoua was denied by Er-Rmichi to her right.
The momentum turned in Cameroon's favour as Atiq's effort was blocked, while another sub -- Bella Rose -- found the net.
Bihina denied Ouzraoui, unfortunate to be on the losing side after another magnificent individual display, before Nyadjou poignantly fired Cameroon into the final.