From debutants to WAFCON finalists

…Scorchers chase African glory

Malawi’s Scorchers have done it. The debutants are into the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final after tearing through Algeria with a stunning 3-1 victory at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday.

From first-time participants to finalists. In one tournament, the Scorchers have gone from making history to chasing the biggest prize in African women’s football.

And once again, the Chawinga sisters were at the heart of the madness. Captain Tabitha Chawinga scored twice, while her younger sister Temwa Chawinga also found the net as Malawi produced another fearless attacking display.

Tabitha broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute, sending the Scorchers into the lead and setting the tone for another unforgettable night.

Then came Temwa. Deep into first-half stoppage time, she doubled Malawi’s advantage and sent the Scorchers into the break 2-0 up.

Algeria were stunned.
But the North Africans refused to disappear. Ikram Adjabi pulled one back in the 60th minute, briefly raising hopes of an Algerian comeback.

Then Tabitha said no.

The Chawinga sisters

The captain struck again in the 76th minute to complete her brace, restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion and send the Scorchers charging into their first-ever WAFCON final.

It was chaos. It was drama. It was Malawi.

The match was not short of fire either, with both teams finishing with 10 players.

Algeria’s Morgane Belkhiter was sent off in the first half, while Malawi’s Rose Kadzere also saw red in stoppage time before the break.

Yet even with the numbers reduced, the Scorchers refused to lose their grip. This is no longer a Cinderella story.

Malawi have beaten defending champions Nigeria 3-2, defeated Egypt 3-1, edged Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals and now smashed Algeria 3-1 in the semi-final.

Four matches. Four statements.

The victory also adds another chapter to a campaign that had already become historic after Malawi qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

That qualification made the Scorchers the first Malawi senior national team to reach a FIFA World Cup.

Now they have gone one step further. They are in the WAFCON final.

And the Chawinga sisters have been leading the charge.

Tabitha and Asimwaka

Tabitha has brought the experience, leadership and ruthless finishing. Temwa has brought pace, movement and danger. Together, they have become a nightmare for opposition defences.

Before this tournament, Malawi had never appeared at a WAFCON finals tournament. Now the Scorchers are one game away from becoming African champions.

The road has not been perfect. Malawi lost to Zambia in the group stage. But every time the tournament demanded an answer, the Scorchers found one.

Nigeria came first.
Then Egypt.
Then Ghana. Now Algeria.
And the biggest test is still coming.

CAF had already confirmed that the 2026 tournament would produce a first-time champion, with Malawi, Algeria, Morocco and Cameroon all entering the semi-final stage without a previous WAFCON title.

Algeria are gone.
Malawi remain.

The Scorchers will now face either hosts Morocco or Cameroon in the final.

But whatever happens next, this team has already changed the story of Malawian football. They came to Morocco as debutants. They leave the semi-final as finalists.

One more game.
One more roar.
One more chance to make history.