Malawi reach historic WAFCON final after beating Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria

Malawi's extraordinary journey at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations has reached another stunning milestone after the Scorchers defeated Algeria 3-1 to qualify for the final for the first time in their history.

What started as a tournament campaign with Malawi regarded as one of the outsiders has developed into one of the biggest stories of the competition.

The Scorchers have now overcome Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria on their way to the final, with the Chawinga sisters once again at the heart of their success.

And it all began with a result that immediately announced Malawi as a team to take seriously.

Malawi opened their WAFCON campaign against the Super Falcons and produced a result few expected.

The debutants stunned Nigeria in their opening Group C fixture, defeating the 10-time African champions 3-2 and immediately throwing the group wide open.

Nigeria recovered from the setback and eventually progressed to the knockout stages, but Malawi's opening-day victory proved to be the foundation of their remarkable run.

The Scorchers went on to show that the Nigeria result was no fluke.

They finished top of Group C on six points, ahead of Nigeria and Zambia on the head-to-head criteria.

Malawi's progress continued in the knockout stages when they faced another heavyweight in Ghana.

Rather than allowing the pressure of the occasion to overwhelm them, the Scorchers produced another determined performance to eliminate the West Africans.

That victory secured Malawi a place in the semi-finals and put them just one game away from a historic final appearance.

But the biggest challenge was still to come.

Against Algeria in Rabat, Malawi once again demonstrated why they have become the tournament's surprise package.

The semi-final was an extraordinary encounter, featuring two first-half red cards, VAR interventions and opportunities at both ends.

Malawi eventually emerged 3-1 winners, with Tabitha Chawinga scoring twice and her younger sister Temwa Chawinga also getting on the scoresheet.

Tabitha spectacularly opened the scoring in the 33rd minute.

After Algeria were reduced to 10 players following a VAR review, the veteran forward produced an outstanding overhead kick that struck the crossbar before crossing the line.

Temwa then doubled Malawi's advantage in first-half stoppage time, giving the Scorchers a commanding 2-0 lead.

Algeria later pulled one back through Ikram Adjabi, but Malawi refused to collapse.

Tabitha eventually put the result beyond doubt with her second goal of the evening.

Malawi entered the competition without the reputation enjoyed by traditional African powerhouses such as Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Morocco.

Yet that lack of expectation appears to have worked in their favour.

Instead of carrying the pressure associated with being favourites, the Scorchers have played with freedom.

The Scorchers will now play in their first-ever WAFCON final on Sunday.

They will face either hosts Morocco or Cameroon, depending on the outcome of the second semi-final.