Malawi arrived in Morocco without ever playing a match at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. On Sunday, the Scorchers will play for the African championship.
Their latest piece of history came in a 3–1 semifinal victory over Algeria, with Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga combining for all three goals.
The match changed several times. Algeria’s Morgane Belkhiter was sent off in the 23rd minute. Tabitha then opened the scoring with an improvised finish off the crossbar before Temwa rounded the goalkeeper to make it 2–0 in first-half stoppage time.
Malawi did not keep the numerical advantage for long. Rose Kadzere was also sent off before halftime, leaving both teams with 10 players. Ikram Adjabi pulled Algeria back into the contest in the 60th minute, but Tabitha struck again in the 76th to complete her brace and settle the semifinal.
The Chawinga sisters have carried Malawi’s name through some of the biggest leagues in women’s football. Now they are helping their country build a history of its own.
Still, this is not simply two sisters dragging a national team forward. Kadzere scored the quarterfinal winner against Ghana. Mercy Sikelo and Malawi’s defensive unit survived Algeria’s second-half pressure. Coach Lovemore Fazili has built a group that understands how to compete when the match becomes uncomfortable.
Malawi have already qualified for their first Women’s World Cup. They are also the first WAFCON debutants, outside the inaugural 1998 tournament, to reach the final. That would already qualify as a transformative summer.
But Malawi are no longer playing only to be remembered as a great underdog story. Against Cameroon on Sunday, they will be one victory away from becoming African champions.
