Ranked 153rd in the world. Zero prior appearances at a major tournament. Drawn into a group with ten-time champions Nigeria. On paper, Malawi's Scorchers were there to make up the numbers at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Instead, they made history — and very nearly rewrote the whole record book. ESPN's Ed Dove argued that regardless of the result, the Scorchers' run may be the most remarkable by any international team in a major tournament, ever. This is how the outsiders became finalists.
The Shock Heard Across the Continent
Malawi's story began with a thunderclap. On the opening day of the group stage, the debutants faced Nigeria — winners of a record ten WAFCON titles and the reigning champions — and beat them 3-2. The Cutback called it one of the biggest upsets in WAFCON history, and it was no fluke: a Temwa Chawinga brace and a strike from her sister Tabitha did the damage.
Four days later, the Scorchers dispatched Egypt 3-1, becoming — the inaugural 1998 edition aside — the first WAFCON debutants ever to win their opening two group games, according to CAF.
A 2-1 loss to Zambia in the final group game briefly threatened to undo everything, throwing Group C into a three-way tie on six points between Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia. But CAF's tiebreak rules — which weigh head-to-head results before overall goal difference — broke Malawi's way. The Scorchers topped the group; Zambia, despite a +6 goal difference, went home. Malawi were through to the quarter-finals.
Knockout Football, No Fear
If the group stage announced them, the knockouts confirmed them.
In the quarter-final, Malawi beat 2025 semi-finalists Ghana 2-1 — a win that did more than send them to the last four. It also secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, a first in the nation's history and a milestone that alone would have crowned the campaign a success.
Then came the semi-final against Algeria in Rabat, and another statement performance. Playing much of the match against ten women after an early Algerian red card, Malawi surged into a 2-0 lead. Tabitha Chawinga opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with an acrobatic finish; Temwa doubled it before half-time. Algeria pulled one back, but Tabitha completed her brace to seal a — and a place in the final.
