WAFCON 2026: Malawi shock Ghana to reach semi-finals and secure historic World Cup ticket

Malawi have reached the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals for the first time and secured a historic place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after beating Ghana 2-1 on Sunday.

The Scorchers, playing at their first Women’s AFCON, continued their remarkable campaign with Rose Kadzere scoring the decisive second-half goal to send Malawi into the last four.

The victory also means Malawi will represent Africa at the Women’s World Cup in Brazil for the first time, completing one of the most remarkable stories of the tournament.

Kadzere completes Malawi’s fairytale

Malawi’s breakthrough campaign had already seen them defeat defending champions Nigeria and Egypt in the group stage before topping Group C.

Their latest victory over Ghana has taken the Scorchers to another level, making them one of the few teams to reach the semi-finals on their Women’s AFCON debut.

Kadzere’s second-half winner proved decisive in a tightly contested quarter-final and sparked celebrations among the Malawian players and supporters.

The result caps a remarkable rise for a team that arrived at the tournament without previous experience of playing at the Women’s AFCON.

Historic World Cup qualification

Malawi’s semi-final place automatically secures their qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The achievement represents a major milestone for women’s football in Malawi and gives the country its first appearance at the global women’s tournament.

Coach Lovemore Fazili had urged his players to approach the competition “one step at a time”, and that cautious ambition has now produced an extraordinary result.

Captain Tabitha Chawinga had also highlighted the importance of World Cup qualification for the development of women’s football in Malawi.

Those ambitions have now been realised.

Ghana’s World Cup hopes remain alive

For Ghana, the defeat was a major setback in their attempt to return to the Women’s World Cup for the first time since 2007.

The Black Queens, however, still have another route to the global tournament.

Ghana will face Côte d’Ivoire in an African play-off, with the winner progressing to the FIFA Women’s World Cup intercontinental play-offs.

The Black Queens will therefore have another opportunity to keep their World Cup hopes alive despite their quarter-final disappointment.

Scorchers announce themselves

Malawi’s extraordinary run has transformed them from tournament debutants into one of the leading stories of WAFCON 2026.

After overcoming some of Africa’s most established women’s football nations, the Scorchers have now secured a semi-final place and a historic World Cup ticket.

Their achievement represents a significant moment for Malawi and adds to the growing strength and competitiveness of women’s football across Africa.