Chawinga sisters fire Malawi past Algeria into historic Wafcon final
Malawi’s historic run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will continue into the final after the Chawinga sisters scored all three goals in a 3-1 semi-final victory over Algeria in Rabat.
Making their tournament debut as the lowest-ranked side in Morocco, the Southern Africans added Les Fennecs to a growing list of heavyweight scalps that already includes Nigeria and Ghana.
However, the final scoreline obscures a chaotic, end-to-end encounter featuring two first-half red cards and numerous spurned opportunities from both sides.
VAR drama and spectacular finishes
Algerian defender Morgane Belkhiter was dismissed early on for denying Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The Lyon striker quickly capitalised on the numerical advantage, breaking the deadlock in the 33rd minute with a breathtaking acrobatic overhead kick that spun wildly over the line after striking the crossbar.
Her younger sibling, who recently claimed the NWSL MVP award with Kansas City Current, doubled the advantage deep into first-half stoppage time.
The numerical parity was restored just before the interval when Rose Kadzere received a straight red card following a prolonged video assistant referee check for a dangerous studs-up challenge.
Debutants verge on unprecedented triumph
The second half provided only marginally less drama, with Ikram Adjabi temporarily giving the North Africans a lifeline.
That glimmer of hope was swiftly extinguished when the older Chawinga sister grabbed her second goal of the evening to secure the hard-fought victory.
The Scorchers will now face either host nation Morocco or Cameroon in Sunday’s showpiece event.
A victory this weekend would make the tournament debutants only the fourth nation in history to lift the prestigious continental trophy.
Having already secured their maiden qualification for next year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil, this remarkable underdog story proves that the women’s game in Africa is rapidly expanding beyond its traditional powerhouses.