Chawinga siblings propel newcomers into championship showdown

Malawi's historic run in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations continued on Wednesday, as the team defeated Algeria 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, with sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga scoring all three goals to propel their team to the final. This achievement makes them the first tournament debutants to progress this far since Zimbabwe in 2000.

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The match was marked by controversy, with Nigerian referee Yemisi Akintoye, in her second appearance at the finals, issuing two first-half red cards, including one to Algeria's Morgane Belkhiter, who was sent off after a VAR review for denying Tabitha Chawinga a clear goalscoring opportunity.

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Tabitha Chawinga capitalized on the advantage in the 33rd minute, scoring with an impressive overhead kick that struck the crossbar before crossing the line, giving Malawi a crucial lead.

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Temwa Chawinga then doubled Malawi's lead in first-half stoppage time, compounding Algeria's woes, which were further deepened when a Malawi defender was shown a second red card following a lengthy VAR check for a studs-up lunge, leaving both teams to play the second half a man short.

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Algeria's Ikram Adjabi briefly gave her team hope with a goal after the restart, but Tabitha Chawinga sealed the contest with her second goal of the afternoon, ensuring Malawi held firm to secure a 3-1 victory.

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The result extends one of the standout stories of the tournament, with the lowest-ranked side in Morocco having now beaten three established nations, Nigeria, Ghana, and Algeria, on their way to a first WAFCON final appearance.

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Temwa Chawinga's brace against Algeria took her tally to four goals at the tournament, with her overall involvement now at six, comprising four goals and two assists, level with Zambia's Barbra Banda for the most goal involvements at the current finals.

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For Algeria, the defeat ended a remarkable run that had seen them reach their first-ever WAFCON semi-final and qualify for their first FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil, the same country that hosted their men’s team’s own World Cup debut in 2014.