Malawi on brink of historic WAFCON quarter-final
August 5, 2026 4:08 am
File: Malawi striker Temwa Chawinga
Malawi and Zambia will be eyeing a place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations when they square off in their final Group C fixture on Wednesday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Malawi continued their impressive WAFCON campaign with a 3-1 victory over Egypt in their previous fixture. They shrugged off a red card to Rose Alufandika, with goals from Rose Kadzere, Faith Chinzimu and Temwa Chawinga earning them the win.
It has been a tournament debut to remember for Malawi, who have now won their two Group C matches, having kicked things off with a 3-2 victory over 10-time champions Nigeria. The Scorchers are now on the verge of reaching the quarter-finals and need only a draw in their final group fixture to seal their place in the last eight.
If they progress to the quarter-finals, they will be one win away from securing a World Cup ticket.
Star striker Temwa Chawinga has spoken highly of their determination to challenge for a World Cup ticket on their debut.
“It’s true we might be underdogs, but everyone knows we need to work hard to achieve everything,” she told ESPN.
“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 head into the clash off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in their previous fixture. They failed to capitalise on a first-half red card to the Super Falcons and could only muster two attempts on target throughout the contest.
Coach Nora Hauptle will be disappointed with the performance as Zambia failed to replicate the quality they showed in their 6-0 victory over Egypt in their opening fixture. They will now head into Wednesday’s clash needing a win to stand a chance of qualifying.
The victory over Egypt highlighted Zambia’s attacking quality, and they have also scored in seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, their defence needs some work, having failed to keep a clean sheet in eight of their last 10 fixtures in all competitions.
Both teams have picked up four wins each and two draws in their last 10 meetings. Their most recent clash was a friendly in 2025, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories
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