Malawi coach Lovemore Fazili credits FIFA and CAF investment for historic WAFCON run

Malawi head coach Lovemore Fazili has heaped praise on FIFA and CAF, crediting their investment in grassroots and youth football for the Scorchers’ remarkable run to the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Malawi, competing at their first-ever WAFCON, have already secured qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil after beating Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria en route to Sunday’s final against Cameroon in Rabat, Morocco.

Speaking after the Scorchers’ historic semi-final victory, Fazili singled out FIFA president Gianni Infantino and CAF president Patrice Motsepe for their roles in developing the structures that produced much of his current squad.

“FIFA believed in us, Infantino Gianni believed in our project, he funded us, CAF President Mosepe believed in the youth, he introduced the CAF school tournaments that most of our players are playing,” Fazili said.

“You can see in our team we have got more under 20 players, they are coming from such a tournament.”

The coach explained that the CAF school tournament initiative has become a key pipeline for young Malawian talent, with several of the country’s breakout stars at this year’s WAFCON having come through that system.

“So in short, I’m thankful to government, Malawi government, I’m thankful to FIFA and the entire leadership,” he added.

Fazili also pointed to the short timeframe in which his squad has been assembled as evidence of the progress made.

“And also, you know, if you look at our team, we built our team by maybe two or three years,” he said.

Malawi’s run has already rewritten the country’s footballing history.

Ranked 153rd in the world coming into the tournament, the Scorchers became the first WAFCON debutants since Zimbabwe in 2000 to reach the semi-finals, and the first debutant nation since the inaugural 1998 tournament to advance all the way to the final.

The team’s success has been built around the Chawinga sisters, with captain Tabitha Chawinga and her sister Temwa combining for crucial goals throughout the knockout stages, including a semi-final win over Algeria that sealed Malawi’s place in Sunday’s showpiece against Cameroon.

According to Fazili, the achievement is as much a vindication of long-term investment in youth development as it is of results on the pitch – a point he was keen to stress even amid the celebrations of reaching a first continental final.