Malawi produced one of the greatest upsets in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) history after defeating 10-time champions Nigeria 3-2 in their tournament debut, with head coach Lovemore Fazili insisting the victory was thoroughly deserved.
After a tightly contested first half ended goalless, Malawi exploded into life after the break. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga opened the scoring in the 73rd minute before her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, doubled the advantage six minutes later to put the Scorchers in complete control.
Nigeria responded in stoppage time when captain Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty in the 91st minute after a handball inside the box. However, Malawi quickly restored their two-goal cushion as Temwa Chawinga completed her brace in the 95th minute. Uchenna Kanu grabbed another goal for Nigeria in the 98th minute, but it was too late to prevent the Super Falcons from suffering a stunning opening-day defeat.
Speaking after the match, Fazili dismissed suggestions that Malawi had simply enjoyed a lucky day, praising his players for executing the game plan to perfection.
“We deserve it; it was not a fluke. My players played according to plan. We need to celebrate the victory,” Fazili said.
The Malawi coach, however, warned against complacency, reminding his players that tougher challenges still lie ahead.
“This does not mean we have won the WAFCON. We still have a lot of work to do in our group because we have Egypt and Zambia coming up.”
Malawi will face Egypt in their second Group C match before concluding the group stage against Zambia.
Meanwhile, Nigeria head coach Justin Madugu admitted his side paid the price for costly mistakes and acknowledged that Malawi deserved the victory.
“I want to appreciate the girls for the effort they put in. They gave their best, but we made mistakes and were punished for them,” Madugu said.
He also rejected claims that Nigeria underestimated their opponents.
“We never took Malawi for granted because we’ve been following their progress. They are a very good team and fully deserved to be here. Every nation that qualifies for WAFCON deserves respect.”
The 2026 WAFCON also serves as the African qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the top four teams securing places at the global finals.
