Scorchers land five CAF nominations

Malawi’s women’s national football team, the Scorchers, have received five nominations for the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards.

The nominations recognise Malawi’s growing presence in women’s football, with the national team and four of its players earning recognition in different categories.

The Scorchers have been nominated for the CAF Women’s National Team of the Year award.

Rose Kabzere is in contention for the CAF Young Player of the Year award, while Mercy Sikelo has been nominated for the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Meanwhile, sisters Tabitha Chawinga and Temwa Chawinga have both been nominated for the prestigious CAF Women’s Player of the Year award.

The nominations come after an impressive campaign by the Scorchers at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where they finished as runners-up. Both Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga played key roles in the team’s remarkable run to the final.

The team has also maintained its strong form in international football, recently thrashing Zimbabwe 9-0 on aggregate in the 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers, further underlining Malawi’s growing ambitions on the continental stage.