Scorchers cruise to historic WAFCON Quarter Finals
Sometimes you win by losing and sometimes you lose by winning – that is a case for Southeast neighbouring nations, Malawi and Zambia.
The football gods decided. Destiny spoke. History made. Malawi’s Scorchers triumphed over Zambia’s Copper ladies.
The Malawi women national team popularly known as the Scorchers cruised to the quarter finals of the glorious Women Africa Cup of nations (WAFCON) for the first time in history after leading Group C qualifiers as they lost to their neighbours, Zambia.
This was Malawi women’s first appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations since its inception, and they have qualified for the quarter-finals on technicalities as they lost a thrilling 2-1 walloping encounter against Zambia on the final day of the group stage in Rabat Morocco.
In a rather crazy turn of events, the Scorchers even finished top of the group ahead of reigning champions, Nigeria, who recorded a thumping 6–2 win over the pharaoh ladies of Egypt, who failed to record a single win as they got beaten by Zambia by 6-0 and Malawi by 3-1.
It took a bit of football mathematics to work out which teams had qualified for the quarter-finals at the end of the final matchday of the group stage for Group C as at midnight, three teams were deadlocked on six points: Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia.
However, Malawi and Nigeria were the top two nations that qualified for the quarter-finals, thanks to their head-to-head record. CAF effectively treated the three nations as if they were in a league and disregarded their results against Egypt to decide the standings.
Under this system, Malawi finished top thanks to goals scored, as both they and Nigeria had a +1 goal difference in the three-way head-to-head standings, with the former having scored one more goal.
After just two minutes of play, Zambia opened the scoring with a powerful shot across goal from Barbra, which was parried into her own net by the Malawi goalkeeper following a clear handball.
Eneless Phiri almost doubled the lead straight away, this time capitalising on a misplaced pass from the Malawian defence with a volley that flew just under the crossbar. Mercy Sikelo stretched well to tip it away for a corner (5th).
Malawi finally had a shot on target from a free-kick taken well from the right by Irene Khumalo, which flew wide of Hazel Nali’s 13th minute goal From the right flank, Margaret Belemu attempted a cross-shot that came close to finding the net, but it flew just over Sikelo’s crossbar (21st).
Then it was Nali’s turn to shine on two occasions, saving long-range efforts from Malawi.
They were too far out and lacked the power to trouble the Zambian goalkeeper, who gathered them comfortably (22nd). After a poor landing following a challenge, Sabinah Thom was carried off on a stretcher with a visible left knee injury and was in tears (25th).
Temwa Chawinga accelerated down the centre and, almost on her own, went in search of the equaliser. But her powerful shot at the end of her run was tipped away by the fingertips of the ever-alert Nali in the 33rd minute.
Zambia doubled their lead three minutes later following a fine run by Belem down the right flank; once she was well out wide on the right near the goal line, she cut the ball back to Prisca Chilufya, who finished with a well-judged volley.
Zambia could even have made it three had Grace Chanda been more clinical with her two runs through the centre towards the end of the first half.
However, it was Malawi’s American based soccer goal-poacher, Temwa Chawinga, who had the final chance from a long ball which she caught but failed to control in the 45th minute.
Chawinga sends Malawi to history
History has been made.
After the break, Malawi had a chance with an opportunistic shot from Madyina Nguluwe, which was saved in two attempts by Nali in 48th minute.
Zambia tried to break Malawi’s momentum with a counter-attack and a long ball for Banda, who was flagged offside as she went to control it in the 52nd minute.
However, the second half was rather scrappy, with three yellow cards shown to Malawi players and players from both sides sustaining injuries in challenges.
The Scorchers appealed for a handball after a blocked shot by Khumalo, who had met a corner from Rose Kabzere, but the referee ruled that the ball had indeed been controlled with her chest in the 71st minute. Chinyamula then produced a fine volley inside the box, but Nali saved it once again 12 minutes after the hour.
However, Malawi eventually pulled one back: following a very long ball from the Malawian midfield, Temwa Chawinga attempted to control it and play it through to her sister. But it was ultimately Chanda who failed to clear, allowing France-based left nimble-footed Tabitha Chawinga to burst down the left flank before cutting inside and firing a powerful cross to the near post.
Kabzere came very close to scoring the equaliser with a sudden volley that looped over the goalkeeper and almost beat Nali on her line in the 81st minute.
Then multi-talented Asimenye missed a huge chance after being perfectly played in by Temwa Chawinga from the right flank. Slightly off balance, she failed to control the ball and sent it straight into the arms of Nali, who couldn’t have asked for more in the 82nd minute.
Banda tried to get Zambia back into the game with a low shot from the edge of the box, which skimmed past the post of Sikelo, who had come off her line at the wrong moment in the 90th minute.
Then Banda missed a huge chance when all she had to do was drive the ball across goal (90+5).
Khumalo squandered Malawi’s last chance by sending the corner straight into Sikelo’s arms in 90th minute.
In the quarter-finals, Malawi will face the runners-up Ghana in the Group D, though it could also be Mali, as the two nations face off for the final spot on Friday.
The Zambian women, meanwhile, have been knocked out of the competition despite their six points and a goal difference of +6, as their 6–0 victory over Egypt on the opening day was disregarded by CAF when recalculating the top-three standings.
Nigeria, who beat Egypt 6–2 in a match where the number of goals scored ultimately did not count towards the final standings, will face Cameroon in the quarter-finals.
Scorchers head coach, Lovemore Fazili after the game was all smiles.
Fazili blurted: “I am proud of my team. They have given their best. We will keep going to the end.”
The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) is taking place from July 26th to August 16th in Morocco, across venues in Rabat and Casablanca.
According to Article 71.2 of the WAFCON regulations, when three or more teams are tied on points, the first tiebreaker is the number of points obtained in matches involving the tied teams. Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia each finished with three points in their mini-league.
The next criterion is goal difference in matches between the tied teams:
- Malawi: Beat Nigeria 3-2 and lost 2-1 to Zambia (Goals For: 4, Goals Against: 4, Goal Difference: 0).
- Nigeria: Lost 3-2 to Malawi and beat Zambia 1-0 (Goals For: 3, Goals Against: 3, Goal Difference: 0).
- Zambia: Lost 1-0 to Nigeria and beat Malawi 2-1 (Goals For: 2, Goals Against: 2, Goal Difference: 0).
With all three teams level on goal difference, the next tiebreaker was goals scored in matches between the tied teams:
- Malawi: 4 goals
- Nigeria: 3 goals
- Zambia: 2 goals
As a result, Malawi finished top of the group, Nigeria claimed second place, and Zambia were eliminated despite their victory over the Scorchers.
“I am proud of my team. They have given their best.”
Lovemore Fazili
Scorchers head coach
