Tabitha Chawinga celebrates with her Malawi teammates during their historic 3-2 victory over Nigeria. Photo: CAF, Kisure Sports
No one needed to explain the size of the challenge facing Malawi.
Nigeria entered the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as the defending champions and the competition’s record 10-time winners. Malawi were playing their first match at the continental finals. Nigeria had also never lost to a WAFCON debutant.
By the final whistle in Rabat, all of that history had been challenged.
Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga combined for all three Malawi goals as the Scorchers defeated Nigeria 3–2 in one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history.
Malawi Built the Platform
The Chawinga sisters will rightly receive the headlines, but the result began with Malawi’s work as a team.
They stayed compact through a scoreless first half, defended with discipline and did not allow Nigeria’s reputation to change the way they approached the match. Nigeria had spells of possession, but Malawi kept the game within reach and waited for the right moments to attack.
That collective structure mattered. It gave Malawi’s most dangerous players the opportunity to decide the game instead of asking them to rescue it.
The Chawinga Sisters Take Over
Temwa Chawinga, the Kansas City Current forward, broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute after being set up by Ireen Khumalo.
Only six minutes later, her older sister Tabitha—who plays for OL Lyonnes—finished a pass from Sabina Thom to make it 2–0.
Nigeria finally responded in stoppage time when Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty to cut the lead in half. But before the defending champions could complete a comeback, Temwa struck again in the 95th minute, restoring Malawi’s two-goal advantage.
Uchenna Kanu pulled another goal back for Nigeria four minutes later, but Malawi held on for a historic 3–2 victory.
More Than an Opening-Day Upset
The final score created several pieces of WAFCON history.
Malawi became the first tournament debutant to defeat Nigeria. They also became the first team to score three goals against the Super Falcons in a WAFCON match. Temwa and Tabitha became the first siblings to score in the same game at the tournament.
The sisters have built elite careers on different continents. Temwa has become one of the NWSL’s most dangerous forwards with Kansas City Current, while Tabitha has established herself among Europe’s leading attackers with OL Lyonnes.
On this night, however, their club résumés were secondary. They delivered one of the biggest wins in Malawi women’s national-team history together.
Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga combined for all three of Malawi's goals against Nigeria. Photo: KC Curent
A Team Gave Its Stars the Chance to Decide
It would be easy to describe the result only as Chawinga brilliance. Their quality was decisive, but Malawi’s organization made those moments possible.
The Scorchers stayed disciplined, remained patient and trusted their plan. When the game opened, the sisters punished Nigeria with speed, movement and composure.
For a country making its WAFCON debut against Africa’s most decorated team, this was more than three points. It was a statement that Malawi did not arrive simply to participate. They arrived believing they belonged.
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