By Our Sports Reoorter

Malawi’s Scorchers have written one of the most remarkable chapters in the country’s football history, finishing runners-up at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.

The Scorchers entered the tournament as debutants and, according to CAF, were among the lowest-ranked teams at the competition. Few expected Malawi to go beyond the group stage, let alone reach the final.

But Lovemore Fazili’s side defied expectations in Morocco, defeating established African football powers, reaching the final and securing Malawi’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Malawi Scorchers WAFCON 2026 journey

The 2026 WAFCON, staged in Morocco from late July to August 16, was Malawi’s maiden appearance at the continental finals. The Scorchers were drawn in Group C alongside defending champions Nigeria, Egypt and regional rivals Zambia.

Their campaign began with one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.

Malawi 3-2 Nigeria

The Scorchers stunned defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in their opening match.

Temwa Chawinga opened the scoring before her sister Tabitha Chawinga added another goal. Temwa then struck again late in the match as Malawi survived a dramatic Nigerian fightback.

The victory immediately announced Malawi as a serious contender rather than simply tournament debutants. The match was later widely regarded as one of the standout games of the competition.

Malawi 3-1 Egypt

Malawi continued their impressive start by beating Egypt 3-1.

The result put the Scorchers in a strong position to advance from the group and demonstrated that the victory over Nigeria was not a one-off result.

Zambia 2-1 Malawi

The Scorchers suffered their only defeat of the group stage when Zambia won the regional derby 2-1.

Despite the loss, Malawi progressed to the quarter-finals as Group C winners on the strength of their earlier results and head-to-head advantage.

Quarter-final: Malawi 2-1 Ghana

Malawi faced Ghana in the quarter-finals on August 9, knowing victory would not only take them into the semi-finals but also guarantee a historic place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Ghana took an early lead through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, but Temwa Chawinga quickly equalised.

Rose Kadzere then scored the decisive goal as Malawi completed a 2-1 comeback victory.

The result sent the Scorchers into their first WAFCON semi-final and secured Malawi’s first qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Semi-final: Malawi 3-1 Algeria

The Scorchers went into the semi-final against Algeria with history already secured, but Fazili’s team wanted more.

Malawi produced another outstanding performance, defeating Algeria 3-1 to book a place in the WAFCON final.

The victory made Malawi one of the tournament’s biggest success stories and set up a final against Cameroon.

Final: Cameroon 3-0 Malawi

Malawi’s historic campaign ultimately ended with a 3-0 defeat to Cameroon in the final on August 16.

Marie Ngah Manga scored twice before Naomi Eto’o added another goal as Cameroon secured their first WAFCON title.

Although the Scorchers missed out on the trophy, their silver-medal finish represented the best-ever performance by Malawi at the continental women’s championship.

It also meant Malawi returned home as African runners-up and World Cup qualifiers.

Malawi Scorchers’ 2026 WAFCON squad

Coach Lovemore Fazili selected a 23-player squad for Malawi’s historic campaign.

Goalkeepers

• Mercy Sikelo — Civil Service Women
• Esther Maulidi — Mighty Wanderers Queens
• Yamikani Kawonga — MDF Lioness

Defenders

• Ireen Khumalo — Silver Strikers Ladies
• Rose Alufandika — Kukoma Ntopwa Queens
• Olivia Phikani — Kukoma Ntopwa Queens
• Tionge Phiri — Silver Strikers Ladies
• Benadetta Mkandawire — FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women
• Chimwemwe Madise — TP Mazembe
• Maggie Chavula — Ascent Soccer Academy

Midfielders

• Rose Kadzere — Montpellier HSC Féminines
• Sara Mlimbika — Green Buffaloes Women
• Madyina Nguluwe — Silver Strikers Ladies
• Letticia Chinyamula — Ascent Soccer Academy
• Faith Chimzimu — BK Häcken
• Chikondi Gondwe — Silver Strikers Ladies

Forwards

• Vanessa Chikupila — Palm Hills Sports Club
• Vitumbiko Mkandawire — Civil Service Women
• Deborah Henry — Silver Strikers Ladies
• Asimenye Simwaka — Free Agent
• Sabinah Thom — Phoenix Academy Marrakesh
• Tabitha Chawinga — Olympique Lyonnais
• Temwa Chawinga — Kansas City Current

The squad was officially announced by the Football Association of Malawi in July.

Temwa Chawinga leads Malawi’s attack

One of the biggest individual stories of the tournament was Temwa Chawinga.

The Kansas City Current forward returned to the Scorchers after a period away from the national team and became one of Malawi’s most influential players.

She scored against Nigeria, Egypt and Ghana and continued to provide a major attacking threat throughout the tournament.

Temwa eventually finished as the tournament’s Golden Boot winner with five goals, sharing the scoring mark with several other players but taking the award on the tournament’s tie-break criteria. She also contributed two assists.

Her performances reinforced her status as one of the most dangerous forwards in African women’s football.

Tabitha Chawinga’s importance

Captain Tabitha Chawinga was another key figure in Malawi’s historic campaign.

The Olympique Lyonnais forward brought experience, leadership and attacking quality to a squad that contained a mixture of established internationals and emerging players.

Her partnership with Temwa became one of the defining features of Malawi’s attacking play.

The Chawinga sisters’ performances also helped attract greater international attention to Malawian women’s football.

What made the Scorchers successful?

1. Attacking quality

Malawi showed throughout the tournament that they could hurt even the strongest opponents.

The combination of Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga gave the team pace, movement and experience in the final third.

2. Mental strength

The Scorchers repeatedly demonstrated their ability to recover from difficult situations.

They came from behind against Ghana in the quarter-final and handled the pressure of knockout football despite having never previously played at a WAFCON finals tournament.

3. Team belief

Fazili’s side appeared to grow in confidence after every major result.

The victory over Nigeria provided the foundation, while wins against Egypt, Ghana and Algeria transformed Malawi from outsiders into genuine title contenders.

4. Defensive organisation

While much of the attention went to the Chawinga sisters, Malawi’s progress was also built on important contributions from the midfield and defence.

Players such as Ireen Khumalo, Rose Alufandika, Olivia Phikani, Tionge Phiri and Benadetta Mkandawire helped provide the defensive platform from which the team’s attacking players could operate.

Malawi’s historic World Cup qualification

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the entire campaign was not the WAFCON silver medal but qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

By reaching the WAFCON semi-finals, Malawi secured one of Africa’s automatic places at the global tournament.

CAF confirmed after the quarter-final that Malawi had become one of the four African teams to secure direct qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The other automatic qualifiers were Algeria, Cameroon and hosts Morocco.

For Malawi, the achievement represents a major milestone for women’s football.

The Scorchers will now prepare for their first appearance on the world’s biggest stage in women’s football.

WAFCON 2026 fixtures and results

Stage	Opponent	Result
Group C	Nigeria	Malawi 3-2 Nigeria
Group C	Egypt	Malawi 3-1 Egypt
Group C	Zambia	Zambia 2-1 Malawi
Quarter-final	Ghana	Malawi 2-1 Ghana
Semi-final	Algeria	Malawi 3-1 Algeria
Final	Cameroon	Cameroon 3-0 Malawi

The group-stage schedule was confirmed by the Football Association of Malawi, with Malawi opening against Nigeria before facing Egypt and Zambia.

What comes next for the Scorchers?

The WAFCON campaign has changed the expectations surrounding Malawi’s women’s national team.

The Scorchers are no longer simply a developing side trying to compete regionally. They are now African finalists and FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

The challenge will be converting this historic breakthrough into sustained progress.

That means maintaining the core of the squad, developing younger players, improving domestic women’s football, providing regular international matches and ensuring the team receives adequate preparation before the World Cup.

The World Cup will also expose Malawi’s players to an even higher level of competition.

A new era for Malawi women’s football

The Scorchers’ WAFCON story is ultimately bigger than the final defeat to Cameroon.

Malawi entered Morocco as debutants. They left as African runners-up, World Cup qualifiers and one of the most talked-about teams of the tournament.

Their victories over Nigeria and Egypt, comeback against Ghana and semi-final triumph over Algeria demonstrated that Malawi can compete with established powers when properly prepared.

The 3-0 defeat to Cameroon may have denied the Scorchers the continental trophy, but it cannot erase what they achieved.

Malawi now has a WAFCON final appearance, a silver medal, a Golden Boot winner in Temwa Chawinga and, most importantly, a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

For Malawian football, this is not the end of a fairytale.

It is the beginning of a new chapter.