Malawi on Brink of Historic WAFCON Quarter-Final Spot

Malawi will be aiming to secure a historic place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations when they face Zambia in their final Group C match on Wednesday.

The Scorchers have enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign, winning both of their opening matches to move within touching distance of the knockout stage.

Malawi followed up their surprise 3-2 victory over Nigeria with an impressive 3-1 win against Egypt despite playing with 10 women after Rose Alufandika was sent off.

Goals from Rose Kadzere, Faith Chinzimu and captain Temwa Chawinga sealed the victory and left the debutants needing only a draw against Zambia to qualify for the quarter-finals.

A place in the last eight would also move Malawi one step closer to qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with only one more victory required to secure a ticket.

Speaking ahead of the decisive encounter, Chawinga said the team is determined to continue defying expectations.

“It’s true we might be underdogs, but everyone knows we need to work hard to achieve everything,” she said.

“If we could qualify for this tournament, we can go to the World Cup. We’re not just going there to participate. We’re going there to compete.”

Zambia enter the match under pressure after suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to defending champions Nigeria in their second group game.

The Copper Queens were unable to capitalise after Nigeria were reduced to 10 players before halftime, managing only two shots on target throughout the encounter.

Coach Nora Hauptle will be hoping her side can rediscover the attacking form that saw them thrash Egypt 6-0 in their opening fixture.

While Zambia have consistently demonstrated their goalscoring ability, defensive lapses remain a concern, with the team failing to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions.

The fixture is expected to be closely contested, with both sides sharing an evenly balanced recent record.

Malawi and Zambia have each recorded four victories in their last 10 meetings, while two matches ended in draws.

Their most recent meeting came in an international friendly in 2025, with both teams settling for a 1-1 draw.