* Temwa has 5 goals sharing with Barbra Banda while Tabitha has four with Cameroon’s Marie Ngah at three goals ahead of the WAfCON 2026 final on Sunday
* Scorchers lead in Player of the Match awards through Temwa’s two and one each for Tabitha and Rose Kadzere
By Duncan Mlanjira
From 12 goals the Malawi Scorchers scored in five matches played at their debut Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON), Morocco 2026, Temwa Chawinga netted five, her sister Tabitha four, Rose Kadzere two and one from Faith Chinzimu.
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Temwa thus lead the race for the Golden Boot, sharing with Zambia’s Barbra Banda, who scored four against Egypt (two from the penalty spot) and one in the Copper Queens 2-1 win over the Scorchers.
Tabitha shares her four goals with Côte d’Ivoire’s Inès Konan while Cameroon’s Marie Gisèle Ngah Manga has three goals sharing with Thembi Kgatlana of South Africa.
Thus Marie Ngah, joins the Golden Boot race ahead of the WAfCON 2026 final against the Scorchers on Sunday.
With two goals each and still playing for the 3rd-place playoff are Algeria’s Marine Dafeur, Morocco’s Sakina Ouzraoui and Ibtissam Jraidi.
Others with two goals each playing tonight in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 are Asisat Oshoala, Uchenna Kanu & Rasheedat Ajibade (Nigeria) and Côte d’Ivoire’s Grâce Sery and N’Sira Ouédraogo.
The Scorchers lead in winning the Player of the Match awards through Temwa’s two and one each for Tabitha and Rose Kadzere
Temwa first won it in her first-ever WAfCON against 10-time winners and defending champions after a spectacular performance, scoring a stunning brace to lead Malawi to their historic 3-2 upset over the continental women football giants.
Rose Kadzere was next in the Scorchers’ second Group C game when they beat Egypt 3-1 victory against Egypt, in which she put on a standout performance by scoring and registering an assist.
Temwa Chawinga doubled her award tally by winning Player of the Match again during Malawi’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory against Ghana.
Rose Kadzere to miss the final after being red carded last evening
Captain Tabitha conquered it in last evening’s 3-1 semifinal triumph over Algeriaand she delivered a masterclass performance, including scoring a brace and a spectacular overhead strike that hit the cross bar and bounced off the pitch into the net.
A notable Player of the Match winner is from the brilliant performances of Cameroon goalkeeper, Michaely Bihina after making nine saves and a clean sheet in the 1-0 quarterfinal upset against Nigeria.
That’s a player Temwa, Tabitha & Co. will be up against on Sunday, who has kept three clean sheets in the group stage against Ghana, in the quarterfinal against west African rivals Nigeria and the 0-0 semifinal against the hosts Morocco, which Cameroon won 3-1 in post-match penalties.
In the quarterfinal against Nigeria, she made nine crucial saves to protect their 1-0 lead and in the semifinal, she saved four consecutive penalties — one in extra time and three in 3-1 shootout win — bringing her total of crucial saves at 21 across five matches.
The striker that the Scorchers will have to watch out for in Sunday’s final is Ngah Manga, who scored a brace in a tight 2-1 group stage match against another west African rivals Mali.
Her pass completion is 82% inside the penalty area across all matches; thus there will be three top-notch forwards on Sunday — Ngah Manga, Temwa and Tabitha in the fight for the prestigious WAfCON title.
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
Quarterfinals
Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Algeria
Morocco 2-1 South Africa
Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria
Malawi 2-1 Ghana
Semifinals
Algeria 1-3 Malawi
Morocco 0(1) – 0(3) Nigeria
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Tomorrow, August 13
South Africa v Nigeria (19h00)
Côte d’Ivoire v Ghana (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Algeria v Morocco (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Malawi v Cameroon (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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