Malawi make history, reach first-ever WAFCON final after beating Algeria 3-1

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Malawi have reached their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) final after defeating Algeria 3-1 in a thrilling semi-final in Rabat on Wednesday.

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The Scorchers secured the historic victory at the Olympic Stadium in Morocco, continuing their remarkable run in their debut appearance at the continental tournament.

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The match was a high-intensity contest, with both sides reduced to 10 players after receiving red cards during the first half.

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The first dismissal came early in the game, before Algeria were also shown a red card roughly 20 minutes later as the physical battle intensified.

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Despite playing with a reduced number of players, Malawi maintained their composure and eventually pulled away from their North African opponents to secure a 3-1 victory.

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The result marks another landmark achievement for Malawi, who had already secured qualification for their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup after reaching the semi-finals.

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CAF had noted ahead of the match that neither Malawi nor Algeria had previously reached a WAFCON final, meaning the winner would make history by becoming the seventh different nation to reach the final since the competition adopted its current format in 1998.

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Malawi had reached the last four after defeating Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals, a result that also secured their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

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Their victory over Algeria now takes their extraordinary debut campaign one step further, with the Scorchers set to contest their first continental final.

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