WAFCON 2026: Chawinga sisters inspire Malawi to historic final after Algeria triumph

Malawi’s remarkable debut at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 reached another historic milestone as the Scorchers defeated Algeria 3-1 to book their place in the final.

The Chawinga sisters were once again at the heart of Malawi’s success, with Tabitha scoring twice and Temwa adding another as the Scorchers continued their extraordinary run into the tournament’s showpiece match.

The victory makes Malawi the first debutants to reach the WAFCON final in the tournament’s history.

Red card puts Algeria under pressure

Algeria’s task became even more difficult early in the match when Morgane Belkhiter was sent off, leaving the North Africans to play the majority of the contest with 10 players.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Algeria defended resolutely and frustrated Malawi during the opening stages.

The Scorchers eventually broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute through captain Tabitha Chawinga.

The forward produced a spectacular finish, improvising with an acrobatic effort that struck the crossbar before crossing the line to give Malawi the lead.

Chawinga sisters strike before half-time

Malawi doubled their advantage shortly before the interval when Temwa Chawinga showed composure inside the penalty area.

Played through on goal, Temwa rounded the goalkeeper before calmly finishing into an empty net to give the Scorchers a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Malawi continued to threaten after the restart and came close to extending their advantage in the 51st minute.

Temwa burst beyond three Algerian defenders with her pace but could not keep her effort on target.

Algeria fight back but Malawi respond

Algeria reduced the deficit in the 60th minute when Ikram Adjabi reacted quickest to a loose ball following a dangerous free-kick from Marine Dafeur.

Adjabi’s volley made it 2-1 and gave Algeria renewed hope of completing a comeback.

However, Malawi responded decisively.

Tabitha Chawinga beat her marker before firing a left-footed effort into the net to complete her brace and restore the Scorchers’ two-goal advantage.

Malawi hold firm to make history

Algeria continued to push forward and came close to scoring again in the 87th minute.

Substitute Laura Muller rounded the goalkeeper but delayed her finish, allowing Malawi’s recovering defenders to intervene and prevent a likely goal.

Algeria continued to search for another opening in the closing stages, but Malawi remained organised and saw out the match without conceding again.

The final whistle confirmed a 3-1 victory and another remarkable chapter in Malawi’s WAFCON campaign.

The Scorchers will now play in their first-ever TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final, with the Chawinga sisters once again leading a historic journey that has captured the attention of African women’s football.