Malawi’s remarkable TotalEnergies WAFCON 2026 journey continues on Wednesday evening when the Scorchers face Algeria in the semi-finals at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
Kick-off is scheduled for 19:00, with a place in the continental final at stake.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women defender Bernadetta Mkandawire and midfielder Lyna James are part of the Malawi squad, while our women’s team head coach Maggie Chombo continues her role as assistant coach with the Scorchers.
Malawi arrive in the last four having already written an unprecedented chapter in the country’s football history and made their mark on the continental stage.
Sunday night’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final victory over Ghana secured qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027, making the Scorchers the first senior Malawian national team — male or female — to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.
Malawi are also the only Southern African nation to have secured direct qualification for Brazil 2027, underlining the scale of their achievement in an extraordinary debut WAFCON campaign.
The World Cup place is secured. Now, another piece of history is within reach.
From World Cup qualification to a continental final
Malawi had to come from behind against Ghana after falling behind inside six minutes of Sunday’s quarter-final in Rabat.
Temwa Chawinga responded five minutes later to restore parity before Rose Kadzere completed the turnaround in the 78th minute, calmly finishing one-on-one after excellent work from Temwa down the right.
The Scorchers then stood firm under late Ghana pressure to seal their place among Africa’s final four.
Mkandawire completed the entire contest and fittingly made Malawi’s final clearance from a Ghana corner deep into added time, moments before the full-time whistle confirmed a landmark victory.
James was an unused substitute, while Chombo was on the touchline as part of the Malawi technical team.
Having arrived in Morocco as WAFCON debutants, the Scorchers have emerged as one of the stories of the tournament. They now stand one victory away from the continental final.
Algeria stand between Malawi and the final
The celebrations that followed Sunday night have given way to another assignment in Rabat.
Algeria are all that now separate Malawi from a place in the TotalEnergies WAFCON 2026 final.
For the Scorchers, Wednesday represents another opportunity to push the boundaries of a debut campaign that has already taken them further than ever before on the continental stage.
They have progressed from the group stage, reached the last four and secured Malawi’s first FIFA World Cup qualification.
Wednesday offers the chance to go further still.
Bullets represented on the big stage
Mkandawire has featured in every match of Malawi’s campaign, establishing herself on the right side of the Scorchers’ defence while contributing at both ends of the pitch.
The Bullets Women defender contributed to two of Malawi’s goals during the group stage before completing the full 90 minutes of Sunday’s quarter-final victory over Ghana.
James remains an option for Malawi heading into the semi-final, while Chombo continues to play her part within the Scorchers’ technical team.
Together, the trio ensure Bullets will again be represented as Malawi step onto one of African women’s football’s biggest stages with a place in the continental final on the line.
Match details
Fixture: Algeria v Malawi
Competition: TotalEnergies WAFCON 2026 – Semi-final
Date: Wednesday, 12 August 2026
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Rabat
Kick-off: 19:00 CAT
Malawi have already made history in Morocco.
On Wednesday night, they have the chance to take it further still.
