By Enitan Abdultawab
The Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, have emerged as the driving force behind Malawi’s remarkable run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, helping the Scorchers reach the final in their historic debut at the tournament.
Malawi began its campaign with a stunning 3-2 victory over defending champions Nigeria before defeating Egypt 3-1 to advance from the group stage. The Scorchers then came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-final, securing their first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the process.
At the heart of that historic campaign are the Chawinga sisters, whose journey to the top of African women’s football began far from the bright lights of international stadiums.
Hailing from Rumphi in northern Malawi, the sisters grew up playing football alongside boys before making their breakthrough with DD Sunshine in Lilongwe. Their partnership has since taken them from grassroots football in Malawi to some of the biggest stages in the women’s game.
For Temwa, her rise has been closely linked to the support and sacrifice of her elder sister, Tabitha. Recalling how she got her first opportunity to play in Europe, Temwa credited Tabitha with opening the door for her.
“My sister; she has been there for me always. When I started soccer, I went to Sweden because of her. She opened the door for me,” Temwa said.
According to her, Tabitha went as far as paying for her younger sister’s air ticket and visa after convincing a Swedish club to give her a chance.
“My sister went and said, ‘No. I’ll put my money, I’ll book the air ticket, visa, whatever. But when you see that she’s good, you’ll give me back the money.’”
That gamble paid off, with Temwa eventually establishing herself as one of the leading forwards in women’s football. She went on to play for Wuhan Jianghan University in China before moving to the United States, where she has starred for Kansas City Current and won the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP award.
Tabitha has also built an impressive career of her own. She became the first African top scorer in Italy’s Serie A during her time with Inter Milan before moving to France, where she played for Lyon.
The sisters have now brought that club-level experience to the Malawi national team, combining their individual quality with an understanding built from years of playing and growing up together.
The Chawinga sisters were once again at the centre of Malawi’s biggest moment in the tournament when they faced Algeria in the semi-final.
Tabitha opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, finding the net with a spectacular effort to give Malawi the lead. Temwa then doubled the advantage before half-time, rounding the Algerian goalkeeper before finishing into an empty net.
Algeria pulled one back in the second half, but Tabitha responded with her second goal of the night in the 76th minute to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion and seal a 3-1 victory.
The performance meant the sisters accounted for all three of Malawi’s goals, with Tabitha scoring twice and Temwa once, as the Scorchers booked their place in their first-ever WAFCON final.
Their exploits have turned the Chawinga sisters into the defining figures of Malawi’s historic campaign as they now prepare to face Cameroon in the final.
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