Chawinga sisters lead Malawi to final

Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga scored all three goals as Malawi defeated Algeria 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. This win took Malawi to the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. They are the first team to reach this stage on their debut since Zimbabwe in 2000.

The match saw Nigerian referee Yemisi Akintoye officiate her second game in the tournament. She had earlier managed the Senegal-Kenya group game on July 30. The game featured two red cards in the first half and many chances for both teams. Malawi managed to secure their place in the final on Sunday.

Algeria found themselves down to ten players in the first 30 minutes. Defender Morgane Belkhiter received a red card after a VAR review for denying Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga a clear chance to score. Tabitha took advantage of this in the 33rd minute. She scored with an acrobatic overhead kick that hit the crossbar before going in.

Temwa Chawinga added to the score just before half-time. Algeria's troubles increased when Rose Kadzere, a defender from Malawi, also got a red card after another VAR check for a dangerous tackle. This left both teams with ten players for the rest of the match.

Ikram Adjabi gave Algeria a glimmer of hope with a goal after the break. But Tabitha Chawinga scored again to make it 3-1, sealing the victory for Malawi. This result is one of the biggest stories of the tournament so far.

Malawi, ranked lowest in Morocco, has now defeated three strong teams: Nigeria, Ghana, and Algeria, to reach their first WAFCON final.

Temwa Chawinga's two goals against Algeria brought her total to four in the tournament. She has also provided two assists, putting her level with Zambia’s Barbra Banda for the most goal contributions in the finals.

For Algeria, this loss ended their remarkable run. They had reached their first-ever WAFCON semi-final and qualified for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup. They will play in Brazil, which also hosted their men's team in their World Cup debut in 2014.