Malawi’s breakthrough at the expanded 16-team tournament in Morocco shows that women’s football in Africa can flourish beyond the usual powerhouses.
Aside from the inaugural 1998 edition, they are the first debutants to reach the final.
Having already secured a berth at next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil by advancing to the semi-finals, the Scorchers are on the brink of something remarkable—with the Chawinga sisters in irresistible form up front.
Tabitha, fresh off helping Lyon to another French title last season, and Temwa, a two-time Golden Boot and MVP winner with the NWSL’s Kansas City Current, arrived amid high expectations.
That excitement now looks fully warranted. The sisters have contributed eight of Malawi’s 12 goals—five for Temwa and three for Tabitha—blending pace, strength, and clever movement that defences have struggled to contain.
Tabitha’s opener in this match will live long in the memory.
When Asimenye Simwaka—who just two weeks earlier had competed in the 200m and 400m semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow—nodded a corner back into the danger area, Tabitha seemed harmless with her back to goal.
But the 30-year-old contorted to flick a deft left-footed overhead that beat Algeria keeper Chloé N’Gazi, crashed off the bar, and, thanks to wicked backspin, bounced over the line as N’Gazi twisted away from the rebound.
Belkhiter’s first-half red card appeared harsh, even if replays showed her catching Tabitha’s heel. The foul was far from goal, and team-mate Roselene Khezami, tackling from the other side, made some contact with the ball.
Temwa exploited the numerical edge, rounding N’Gazi to roll in a second, before Kadzere’s deserved dismissal moments later gave the North Africans a lifeline.
Kadzere skimmed the top of the ball but then went over it, catching Marine Dafeur above the ankle—needlessly so, and inside Algeria’s penalty area.
Early in the second half, Algeria’s Melissa Bethi and Temwa both squandered big chances, before Adjabi struck on the hour.
Two Malawi defenders failed to deal with Dafeur’s deep free-kick, allowing Adjabi to volley across goal and halve the arrears.
Both teams began to fade, but Tabitha settled it late, driving into the box almost unopposed and side-footing in from just beyond the six-yard line.
Ranked 153rd in the world, Malawi have electrified Wafcon.
Only Cameroon remain—after they eliminated the hosts on penalties—and in this form, the Chawinga sisters will fancy they can beat anyone.