The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) will host a Four Nations Women’s Tournament during the forthcoming FIFA Women’s International Window from 29th November to 2nd December at Bingu National Stadium in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
So far, Zambia and Zimbabwe have confirmed their participation, while the fourth team is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
For Malawi and Zambia, the competition will serve as part of preparations for the upcoming 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), set for March in Morocco.
Scorchers Coach Lovemore Fazili is expected to name his squad for the matches in due course.
In an interview Fazili said: “This is a great opportunity for us to prepare for the challenges ahead.”
The former Silver Strikers and Flames international centre-forward and prolific goal poacher, Fazili said his players are on the blink of making history and therefore the four nation football bonanza will be a yardstick to measure their preparations and readiness.
This will be the second Four Nations Tournament organized under the leadership of FAM President Fleetwood Haiya, following the successful hosting of the men’s edition in March 2024.
Malawi women football international golden export, Tabitha Chabinga she is excited with the four-nation bonanza and she hopes to take part because the tournament will help the Scorchers players gel before the AFCON and 2026 World Cup qualifiers games.
Chawinga said: “This is our chance to blend as a team and see how best to work on our weaknesses before the AFCON and World Cup matches. Zambia has always been our fierce opponent and we will use this tournament to size them up and stamp authority on them.”
She added: “For us, there is no friendly match against Zambia. Every game is competitive and we play like it is a world cup final.”
In October 2025, Malawi achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, defeating Angola over a two-leg aggregate in the final qualifying round.
In 2019, Malawi participated in its first Olympic Games qualifying tournament, defeating Mozambique 11–1 and 3–0 across the two legs to advance to the first round.
At that year’s COSAFA Women’s Championship, Malawi recorded two wins out of three matches, including a notable 13–0 victory against Comoros. Although the team was eliminated by Kenya in the first round of Olympic qualifying, their performance demonstrated significant progress.
Breaking through
In January 2020, the team’s nickname was officially changed to “the Scorchers”, distinguishing them from the men’s team, known as “the Flames”.
Increased match experience led to improved results and a narrowing gap with top Southern African sides. In 2021, Malawi reached the final of the COSAFA Championship, narrowly losing to Tanzania.
Later that year, the team participated in the 2022 WAFCON qualifiers, facing regional rivals Zambia; although Malawi was eliminated after the second-leg loss, the results reflected continued improvement.
In September 2023, as preparation for that year’s regional tournament, Malawi played two friendly matches against Seychelles, winning both 17–0, marking their largest victories to date.
During the tournament itself, Malawi went undefeated and captured their first COSAFA Women’s Championship title, significantly raising the team’s profile and paving the way for more fixtures.
While they failed to defend their title in 2024, the federation arranged additional matches, and in 2025 the team played eight international friendlies, a record for the side
“This is a great opportunity for us to prepare for the challenges ahead.”
Lovemore Fazili
Scorchers head Coach
