Chawinga Celebrates After Falcons Defeat

Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga has announced that the Scorchers are ready to make the most of their first-ever appearance at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. This follows their surprising 3-2 win over Nigeria, the defending champions, in Rabat, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Chawinga, who netted one of Malawi’s goals in this memorable win, shared that she and her younger sister, Temwa, have been waiting for this chance to shine on the big stage.

“It was amazing; my sister and I spoke with each other and we thought, ‘This is our time,’” the older Chawinga stated after the match on Tuesday.

She also praised their teammates for their effort in achieving one of the biggest surprises in WAFCON history. “We have been waiting to play at the WAFCON for long but we didn’t qualify. So this is very important for us. She was everywhere on the pitch and we just encouraged everyone to work hard, and they did it,” she added.

Before the match, most of the attention was on the Chawinga sisters. But Temwa cautioned Nigeria not to underestimate their teammates before the game. “They know me and Tabitha. But they don’t know our other players or the way we play. If they focus on us, we have other players who can do the job,” she said.

Even though many see them as underdogs in the tournament, Tabitha insists that Malawi has bigger goals than just participating in Morocco. They aim for qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“It’s true we might be underdogs, but everyone knows we need to work hard to achieve everything,” she said. “If we could qualify for this tournament, we can go to the World Cup. We’re not just going there to participate. We’re going there to compete.”

The Scorchers’ win against the ten-time African champions has given them a great start to their first WAFCON campaign. It has also raised their hopes of moving on from Group C.

Malawi will play against Egypt on Saturday. Another win will bring them closer to their World Cup goal, before they finish their group matches against Zambia four days later.

The top four teams at this year’s WAFCON will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. One other African nation will also get a chance to qualify through the intercontinental play-offs. This gives Malawi even more motivation as they start their historic journey in the tournament.