Bernadetta Mkandawire, Lyna James and Maggie Chombo completed a memorable TotalEnergies WAFCON 2026 journey with Malawi on Sunday night as the Scorchers finished as African runners-up in Morocco.
Malawi’s remarkable debut at the continental finals ended with a 3-0 defeat to Cameroon, who claimed their first WAFCON title on their fourth appearance in the final.
Mkandawire completed another full match to finish the tournament having featured in every game for the Scorchers, while James was part of the history-making squad and Bullets Women head coach Chombo served as Malawi assistant coach throughout the competition.
The trio leave Morocco with continental silver and, significantly, a place at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 after Malawi became the first senior national team from the country to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
Mkandawire completes ever-present campaign
Mkandawire retained her place on the right for Sunday’s final as Malawi made an encouraging start against Cameroon.
The Scorchers threatened early through Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga before Cameroon took control of the contest.
Marie Gisèle Ngah Manga opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Naomie Eto doubled Cameroon’s advantage eight minutes later. Manga struck again deep into first-half stoppage time to give Cameroon a 3-0 lead at the interval.
Malawi searched for a response after the restart, with Tabitha firing wide and later seeing a penalty appeal waved away following a VAR review.
Temwa also went close with a back-heel effort on the hour, but Cameroon protected their advantage through the closing stages to secure their maiden continental crown.
For Mkandawire, the final brought to an end an impressive individual tournament in which the Bullets Women defender featured in every Malawi match and contributed at both ends of the pitch.
She played a part in three Scorchers goals, contributing to two during the group stage before releasing Tabitha for Malawi’s third in the 3-1 semi-final victory over Algeria.
Bullets represented throughout remarkable run
James was part of the Malawi squad throughout the tournament, while Chombo formed part of the technical team as assistant coach as the Scorchers reached the final on their first appearance at WAFCON.
Their involvement ensured Bullets representation throughout a run in which Malawi progressed from the group stage, reached the continental final and secured an unprecedented World Cup place.
The decisive step towards Brazil came in the quarter-finals, when a 2-1 victory over Ghana guaranteed Malawi qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
The achievement made the Scorchers the first senior Malawian national team — male or female — to qualify for a FIFA World Cup and the only Southern African nation to secure direct qualification for next year’s tournament.
Malawi’s run also produced an individual honour, with Temwa finishing as the tournament’s leading goalscorer with five goals and two assists.
There were tears at the final whistle on Sunday night, but Mkandawire, James and Chombo leave Morocco having played their part in an unprecedented chapter for Malawian football.
African runners-up on WAFCON debut and a first-ever senior FIFA World Cup qualification secured — a landmark continental journey for Malawi and our Bullets trio.
