Photo copyright Football Association of Malawi
Malawi is heading to the Women’s World Cup for the first time.
The Scorchers secured their place at the 2027 tournament with a 2-1 comeback win over Ghana in Sunday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarterfinal in Morocco. The achievement goes beyond the women’s game, marking the first World Cup qualification for any Malawian senior national team.
Ghana’s Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah opened the scoring in just the seventh minute with a well-hit volley into the side netting. But just minutes later, Temwa Chawinga brought Malawi level. Her shot from the edge of the box was deflected by Ghana’s Alice Kusi before sailing into the back of the net.
In the second half, Ghana put the ball in the back of Malawi’s net once again, but their excitement was dashed after a VAR check called the strike offside.
Instead, Malawi put the game away with a winner in the 79th minute. Down the right flank, Chawinga delivered a perfectly weighted pass into the area, finding Rose Kadzere. Kadzere expertly took a touch around her defender, and beat keeper Cynthia Konlan for the historic goal.
Chawinga, the reigning two-time NWSL MVP who plays for the Kansas City Current, has a familiar face alongside her in Morocco. Her older sister, Olympique Lyonnais forward Tabitha Chawinga, is also in the Malawi squad and has recorded two goals of her own so far in the tournament.
The timing of Malawi’s breakthrough makes it even more remarkable. Before this tournament, the Scorchers had never qualified for the WAFCON. They finally earned their first berth in the continental tournament in October 2025 and have now turned that debut into a ticket to next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Malawi entered the tournament ranked 153rd in the world, and has already defeated 99th-ranked Egypt, 60th-ranked Ghana and 36th-ranked Nigeria en route to the semifinals. Algeria, Cameroon and host nation Morocco remain in the tournament and have also booked their tickets to the 2027 World Cup.
Next up for Malawi is a meeting with Algeria in the semifinals on Wednesday, giving the Scorchers a chance to make an already historic tournament even more memorable.
