Malawi Shocks Nigeria in Women's Africa Cup Match

Malawi made a big statement at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. They defeated Nigeria 3-2 in a thrilling Group C match in Rabat.

The Scorchers celebrated a famous win thanks to sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga. Temwa scored two goals while Tabitha added one to hand the Super Falcons a surprising loss.

After a tight first half, Temwa broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute. She timed her run perfectly to beat the offside trap and slotted the ball into an empty net past Nigeria's goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Just six minutes later, Tabitha doubled Malawi’s lead. She made a quick run on a counter-attack, beating the Nigerian defense and Nnadozie to make it 2-0.

Nigeria fought back through captain Rasheedat Ajibade. She converted a penalty to reduce the gap and bring hopes of a comeback back to life.

But Temwa struck again deep into stoppage time. She lobbed the ball over Nnadozie from a distance after seeing the goalkeeper off her line. This restored Malawi’s two-goal lead.

Substitute Uchenna Kanu scored late for the Super Falcons, but it was only a consolation. Malawi held on for a memorable 3-2 win.

This result is one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history. The tournament debutants defeated the most successful team in the competition in their first game.

Nigeria entered this tournament as reigning champions. They had won 10 of the previous 13 editions but struggled to break down a solid Malawi team for much of the match.

The Falcons’ best chance before going behind came shortly after the hour mark. Michelle Alozie failed to take advantage of a good opening.

Before the match, Temwa Chawinga was confident Malawi could surprise the African champions. "To beat the defending champions would mean a lot to us," Chawinga told ESPN.

"It’s our first game, so it would boost our morale and give us confidence and motivation to do even better."

"Because if you start well by winning your first game, a game against a team like Nigeria, the team starts believing, ‘Okay, we can do this.’"

Earlier in the day, Zambia crushed Egypt 6-0 to take the top spot in Group C on goal difference. Now, Nigeria has work to do in their upcoming matches.

The Super Falcons will play against the Copper Queens on Saturday. They will finish their group stage against Egypt.