The Scorchers: Malawi’s road to the World Cup in Brazil
Malawi’s women reached the WAFCON final and qualified for their first World Cup. Results, the Chawinga sisters’ goals and every Scorchers game, kept up to date.
- WAFCON 2026: runners-up
- World Cup draw: 11 Dec 2026
- Coach: Lovemore Fazili
Quick answer: Yes, Malawi is going to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil (24 June to 25 July 2027). The Scorchers sealed it by beating Ghana 2-1 in the WAFCON quarter-final in Morocco, then reached the final, where Cameroon won 3-0. It is the first World Cup for any Malawi senior national team. Their group and fixtures will be known after the draw in Rio on 11 December 2026.
Scorchers scores
Swipe →- FT · 28 Jul
Nigeria2
Malawi3WAFCON 2026 - FT · 1 Aug
Egypt1Malawi3WAFCON 2026 - FT · 5 AugMalawi1
Zambia2WAFCON 2026 - FT · 9 AugMalawi2
Ghana1WAFCON 2026 - FT · 12 AugMalawi3
Algeria1WAFCON 2026 - FT · 16 Aug
Cameroon3Malawi0WAFCON 2026
Six games to the final
Group winners ahead of Nigeria and Egypt, then Ghana and Algeria in the knockouts. The semi-final report is on CAF’s website.
Results
Sunday 16 August 2026
- CameroonCameroon3 - 0Malawi ScorchersMalawi
Wednesday 12 August 2026
- Malawi ScorchersMalawi3 - 1AlgeriaAlgeria
Sunday 9 August 2026
- Malawi ScorchersMalawi2 - 1GhanaGhana
Wednesday 5 August 2026
- Malawi ScorchersMalawi1 - 2ZambiaZambia
Saturday 1 August 2026
- EgyptEgypt1 - 3Malawi ScorchersMalawi
Tuesday 28 July 2026
- NigeriaNigeria2 - 3Malawi ScorchersMalawi
Updated 3 Nov 2026. Source: CAF match reports
Malawi's WAFCON goals
- 1Temwa ChawingaMalawi Scorchers5
- 2Tabitha ChawingaMalawi Scorchers4
- 3Rose KadzereMalawi Scorchers2
- 4Faith ChinzimuMalawi Scorchers1
Goals in matches on this page
Tabitha and Temwa
Both sisters are from Rumphi in the Northern Region and both are forwards. Tabitha, the elder, captains the Scorchers and plays for Lyon in France; Temwa is a two-time MVP in the American NWSL with Kansas City Current. Between them they scored seven of Malawi’s 12 goals at WAFCON.
| Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26Lyon, all competitions | 28 | 18 |
| 2024/25Lyon, all competitions | 29 | 9 |
| 2023/24PSG (loan), all competitions | 38 | 29 |
| 2022/23Inter Milan (loan), all competitions | 27 | 26 |
- French champion 2024/25
- Coupe de France 2023/24
- Serie A Footballer of the Year 2022/23
- UNFP Player of the Year 2023/24
- CAF Team of the Year 2023, 2024
- WAFCON runner-up 2026
Stats: Wikipedia (29 May 2026). Photo: ChaloNiZambia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
| Season | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2025Kansas City Current, NWSL regular season | 23 | 15 |
| 2024Kansas City Current, NWSL regular season | – | 20 |
- NWSL MVP 2024, 2025
- NWSL Golden Boot 2024, 2025
- NWSL Shield 2025
- NWSL record 20 goals in a season (2024)
- WAFCON joint top scorer 2026
- WAFCON Team of the Tournament 2026
- Chinese Super League champion 2020-2023
Stats: Wikipedia (10 May 2026). Photo: Hameltion, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
The World Cup
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup is the first to be held in South America, with 32 teams in eight host cities. The final is at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on 25 July 2027.
Malawi is one of four African teams, with Morocco, Cameroon and Algeria. Malawi’s group, opponents, dates and kick-off times in Malawi time will appear on this page as soon as the draw is made.
- Dates
- 24 June to 25 July 2027
- Host
- Brazil
- Teams
- 32
- Draw
- 11 December 2026, Rio
- Africa
- Malawi, Morocco, Cameroon, Algeria
Scorchers FAQ
Has Malawi qualified for the Women’s World Cup?
Yes. Reaching the WAFCON 2026 semi-finals gave Malawi one of Africa’s four places at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
When is the 2027 Women’s World Cup?
From 24 June to 25 July 2027 in Brazil. The draw that decides Malawi’s group is on 11 December 2026.
Who are the Scorchers?
The Malawi women’s national football team. The name became official in January 2020; before that the team was called the She-Flames, after the men’s team, the Flames.
Who coaches the Scorchers?
Lovemore Fazili, head coach since 2023. Tabitha Chawinga is the captain.
Are Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga sisters?
Yes. Tabitha (born 1996) and Temwa (born 1998) are sisters from Rumphi. Tabitha plays for Lyon in France and Temwa for Kansas City Current in the United States.
How did Malawi do at WAFCON 2026?
Runners-up. They won Group C, beat Ghana 2-1 and Algeria 3-1, then lost 3-0 to Cameroon in the final in Rabat on 16 August 2026. Temwa Chawinga finished as joint top scorer with five goals.
