FROM VILLAGE OUTCASTS TO KINGS OF AFRICA: How the Chawinga Sisters Are Firing Malawi to Historic WAFCON Glory!

By ABT News Aug 16, 2026 0

By ABT NEWS SPORTS DESK

They were told football wasn’t for girls. They were beaten by their parents for daring to play with the local boys using balls made of plastic and paper. Now, they are the most feared attacking duo on the African continent.

The Malawi Scorchers 🇲🇼 have completely gatecrashed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, defying their status as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament (153rd in the world) to reach a breathtaking final. Driving this unprecedented giant-killing run are two unstoppable siblings: Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga.

Tonight, the sisters will lead the ultimate underdog story into battle against African heavyweights Cameroon 🇨🇲. The historic final kicks off at 8:00 PM BST, and the entire football world will be watching.

The Stats Defying Belief

The Scorchers arrived as tournament debutants, yet they have fearlessly dismantled continental royalty. After stunning 10-time champions Nigeria in their opener, topping Zambia in Group C, dumping out Ghana in the quarter-finals, and dismantling Algeria 3-1 in the semi-finals, Malawi are on the brink of absolute footballing immortality.

At the heart of this destruction? The Chawinga sisters. Together, they have netted 9 of Malawi’s 12 tournament goals:

Temwa Chawinga (27): Leading the Golden Boot race with 5 goals (tied with Zambia’s Barbra Banda).
Tabitha Chawinga (30): The team captain and talisman with 4 goals.

Tabitha: The Trailblazer

Born in the rural northern district of Rumphi, Tabitha was the pioneer. Enduring heavy backlash from her family, she refused to abandon the sport.

“People would provoke my mum: ‘Look at your daughter – maybe she will not be married in the future.’ My mum beat me because she was embarrassed. But whatever the boys did, I believed I could.” — Tabitha Chawinga

That fierce resilience took her from playing in the dust in Lilongwe to the glittering heights of European football. She became the first Malawian woman to play in Europe, shredding defenses in Sweden before claiming multiple league titles and Golden Boots in China.

After winning the Serie A Golden Boot with Inter Milan, she became the first Malawian to score in the UEFA Champions League with PSG. Today, she stars for French powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais 🇫🇷, boasting back-to-back domestic titles and a recent Champions League final appearance.

Temwa: The Global Goal Machine

Where Tabitha blazed the trail, younger sister Temwa followed—and then set the world completely on fire. Acknowledging her sister’s instrumental guidance, Temwa transitioned from Swedish football to immense dominance in China with Wuhan Jianghan.

But her crowning achievement came in 2023, when Temwa was officially the highest-scoring footballer on the planet. With a staggering 63 goals (51 for club, 12 for country), she outscored global megastars Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi.

She hasn’t slowed down since. Joining the Kansas City Current 🇺🇸 in America’s NWSL, Temwa secured the Golden Boot in her debut 2024 season with 20 goals, bagged another 15 last year, and seized back-to-back league MVP honors.

“She [Tabitha] made connections for me to leave Malawi… but most importantly has always advised me to fight hard, to know what I want and to pursue it without listening to distracting people.” — Temwa Chawinga

One Final Hurdle

Together, the sisters have already secured Malawi’s first-ever ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year. But right now, only one thing matters: the WAFCON trophy.

“I’m so happy because a lot of people didn’t give us a chance at this level, but we showed the world that we have a good team.” — Temwa Chawinga

If the Scorchers can overcome Cameroon tonight, they will become only the fourth nation in history—joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa—to lift the WAFCON title. It would complete the ultimate fairytale for two sisters who started with absolutely nothing, believed in each other, and ended up conquering the footballing world.

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