* At just 19 years, she has already found her place on the senior national team. A pillar in the middle of the pack
* My journey hasn’t been easy, but my passion and my family’s support kept me going. I play because I want to represent Malawi and make my country proud
CAFonline
Malawi have taken the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) Morocco 2026 by storm.
The Scorchers, who are competing at the continental stage for the very first time since the tournament was created in 1998, mean business.
A historic feat in their opener saw them stun record 10-time winners and reigning champions Nigeria 3-2 and since then, it has been a roller coaster. With these three points, they continued to believe that anything is possible.
For Malawian midfielder, Faith Chinzimu, these are the days that she dreamt about. At just 19 years, she has already found her place on the senior national team. A pillar in the middle of the pack.
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How Lilongwe prepared Chinzimu for the big stage
Born in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe, Chinzimu started playing football very early on. Her talent was visible from the onset.
“I started playing football when I was young, just playing with boys in the streets and at school because I loved the game.
“Football gave me joy and purpose. As I grew up, I got more serious and joined teams,” Chinzimu recollects on her journey to the big leagues.
Her consistency earned her a call up to the Malawi junior Scorchers side that featured in the 2022 COSAFA U17 Women’s Championship in her hometown Lilongwe.
At 15 years old, she got a first taste of what it feels like to represent your nation. The regional tournament did not disappoint — Chinzimu found the back of the net an incredible four times in a space of 33 minutes as Malawi put 12 goals past Namibia in the group stages.
With this, she announced her arrival at the southern African regional competition that attracted a total of seven teams that year.
She then scored a hat-trick against Botswana in a 9-0 win to finish third at the competition. This took her tally to a commendable seven goals in four games — not bad for a debutant.
“It was the first time I wore the national team colours,” she recalls. “It was very special because it was at home, with our people supporting us.
“Scoring a hat-trick against Botswana in that 9-0 win felt amazing. Hearing the crowd cheer for us gave me so much confidence.
“It made me believe I could do more for Malawi. That tournament taught me what it means to play for my country.”
This performance, alongside that of her teammate Rose Kadzere — who finished the tournament with eight goals, one more than Chinzimu — was an indicator that Malawi was building a special team. One for the future — a bright future.
“My journey hasn’t been easy, but my passion and my family’s support kept me going. I play because I want to represent Malawi and make my country proud.”
Chinzimu brace sends Malawi to debut WAfCON
After impressing at the junior level, Malawi head coach Lovemore Fazili summoned her to the senior national team – a place at the high table.
She had earned it at 16 years old: “My senior national team debut was in August 2023. It was a very proud moment for me and my family. Wearing the Malawi jersey for the first time with the Scorchers was a dream come true.”
With Ascent Soccer, she continued to amass experience against top teams at the 2024 CAF Women’s Champions League-COSAFA qualifiers — her first regional inter-club competition.
Playing in Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital, meant that she was at home and she scored the fastest goal at the tournament, a fine finish in the second minute of her first game that inspired a 2-1 win over Young Buffaloes from eSwatini.
She added another in a 3-2 loss to eventual finalists Gaborone United but her side finished bottom of Group B.
Two months later in October 2024, Chinzimu netted her first senior national team goal against Botswana in a 1-1 draw at the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2024 in Gqeberha, South Africa.
She has never looked back. It was a timely ascend into spaces where she has continued growing and believing in her skills on the pitch and discovering more about her resilience off of it in the pursuit of bigger dreams.
That is why when Congo withdrew from the first round of the WAfCON 2026 qualifiers and Malawi received automatic progress to the second round, Chinzimu was waiting patiently for an opportunity to make her contribution.
An opportunity to achieve what seemed to elude Malawi for years – qualification for the WAfCON.
Against Angola, the Scorchers settled for a goalless draw in Luanda but it was Chinzimu’s two goals in two minutes in the return fixture in Lilongwe than secured a place at the WAfCON 2026 for Malawi.
October 28, 2025
October 28, 2025 is a day that Chinzimu and Malawians will always remember: “After that game I felt so much joy and pride.
“I thought about my family, my coaches, and all the people who supported me. Qualifying for WAfCON was a dream we worked so hard for as a team.
“In that moment I realised we had made history and that we were putting Malawi women’s football on the map. I was just grateful to God and to my teammates.”
A chance to write more history
The outright tournament revelation, Malawi are once again on the brink of history. A place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 awaits.
When they face Ghana in the last quarterfinal this Sunday in Rabat (22h00), it will be yet another opportunity to etch their names in the history books.
“It would mean everything. For me, for the team, and for every young girl in Malawi who dreams of playing football.
“Qualifying for the World Cup would show the world that Malawian women can compete at the highest level. It would inspire the next generation and prove that all our hard work is worth it.
“We’re carrying the hopes of the whole country, and we want to make Malawi proud,” Chinzimu says emphatically.
And with her on this journey are the trailblazing Chawinga sisters – captain Tabitha and Temwa. The pair have achieved everything at club level and are now yearning to continue this legacy at national team level where they are paving the way for young girls like Chinzimu.
It is no wonder that Chinzimu is currently plying her trade at Swedish side BK Häcken in a league that the Chawinga sisters nurtured their talent at Kvarnsvedens IK.
When asked how it feels to play with both the Chawinga sisters while most of their teammates globally getting to play with one, Chinzimu says: “Playing with both Tabitha and Temwa is a huge blessing.
“I’ve learnt so much about discipline, hard work, and believing in yourself. They always tell me to stay focused, work hard in training, and never be afraid to take chances.
“They lead by example. They show us that if you come from Malawi, you can still reach the top. They push me to be better every day.”
Just like Tabitha has won the league with Lyon in France, French Cup with PSG and Temwa set a new US National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) single season record with 20 goals to her name at Kansas City Current — winning the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP Award, Chinzimu is hoping to fly the Malawi flag high on the global stage.
Reaching the WAfCON 2026 semifinals and a ticket to the World Cup would be a dream come true.
Group stage results, standings and knockout stage fixtures (kick-off times CAT beamed live on SuperSport live on DStv Channel 225 (https://dstv.stream) and on GOtv Channel 61 (https://gotv.stream):
Group A
Algeria 2-0 Senegal
Morocco 4-0 Kenya
Senegal 1-0 Kenya
Morocco 1-0 Algeria
Senegal 0-0 Morocco
Kenya 0-2 Algeria
Group B
South Africa 1-2 Tanzania
Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 Burkina Faso
South Africa 2-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso 2-1 Tanzania
Burkina Faso 0-1 South Africa
Tanzania 1-2 Côte d’Ivoire
Group C
Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Nigeria 3-2 Malawi
Egypt 1-3 Malawi
Nigeria 1-9 Zambia
Egypt 2-6 Nigeria
Malawi 1-2 Zambia
Group D
Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Cameroon 2-1 Mali
Ghana 0-1 Cameroon
Mali 3-2 Cape Verde
Mali 1-1 Ghana
Cape Verde 1-1 Cameroon
AdvertisementQuarterfinals
Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Algeria
Morocco 2-1 South Africa
Today, August 9
Cameroon v Nigeria (19h00)
Malawi v Ghana (22h00)
Semifinals
Wednesday, August 12
SF2: Morocco v Cameroon/Nigeria (19h00)
SF1: Algeria v Malawi/Ghana (22h00)
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Thursday, August 13
South Africa v Cameroon/Nigeria (19h00)
Côte d’Ivoire v Malawi/Ghana (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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