Debutants Malawi stun Algeria 3-1 to reach historic WAFCON final

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Malawi’s remarkable debut at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 reached a historic milestone on Wednesday as the Scorchers defeated Algeria 3-1 to book their place in the final.

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The Chawinga sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, once again proved decisive, combining for all three of Malawi’s goals as the Scorchers secured their first-ever WAFCON final appearance.

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Malawi’s task was made easier early in the first half when Algeria’s Morgane Belkhiter was shown a red card, leaving the North Africans with 10 players.

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The Scorchers took advantage in the 33rd minute when captain Tabitha Chawinga produced a moment of brilliance, directing an acrobatic effort onto the crossbar and into the net to give Malawi the lead.

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Temwa doubled the advantage shortly before half-time, showing composure inside the area to round the goalkeeper after being played through before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net.

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Malawi went into the break with a 2-0 lead.

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The Scorchers continued to threaten after the restart, with Temwa coming close to adding a third in the 51st minute after bursting past three defenders with her trademark pace, although she could not keep her effort on target.

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Algeria responded in the 60th minute to give themselves renewed hope.

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A dangerous free-kick from Marine Dafeur caused problems in the Malawi penalty area, with Ikram Adjabi reacting quickest to a loose ball and volleying home to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

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But Malawi restored their two-goal advantage through Tabitha.

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The captain beat her marker before driving a left-footed effort into the net to complete her brace and put the Scorchers 3-1 ahead.

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Algeria pushed for another comeback and came close in the 87th minute when substitute Laura Muller rounded the goalkeeper.

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However, a delayed finish allowed Malawi’s recovering defenders to intervene and prevent what appeared to be a certain goal.

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Malawi held firm through the closing stages to secure a 3-1 victory and continue their remarkable run on their WAFCON debut.

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The Scorchers will now compete for the continental crown in their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final.

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