Chawinga sisters fire debutants into final

Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga propelled Malawi to the final of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-1 victory over Algeria at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday. This marks the first time debutants had advanced this far in the competition since Zimbabwe in 2000. The match, officiated by Nigerian referee Yemisi Akintoye, who had previously officiated at the Senegal-Kenya group game on July 30, featured two first-half red cards and numerous scoring opportunities for both teams.

Algerian defender Morgane Belkhiter was sent off in the opening half-hour after a VAR review deemed she denied Malawi captain Tabitha Chawinga a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Tabitha Chawinga opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with an acrobatic overhead kick that struck the crossbar and then went over the line. Her younger sister, Temwa, added a second goal in first-half stoppage time.

Algeria's hopes faded further before halftime when another defender for Malawi, Rose Kadzere, received her second red card following a lengthy VAR check for a studs-up lunge. Despite a goal from Ikram Adjabi late in the second half, Tabitha Chawinga sealed the win with her second goal, ensuring Malawi's place in Sunday's final. The victory extends Malawi's impressive run at the tournament, as they have now defeated three established nations, Nigeria, Ghana, and Algeria, to reach their first WAFCON final.

Temwa Chawinga's brace against Algeria brought her total goals to four during the tournament, and her overall involvement to six, tied with Zambia's Barbra Banda for the most goal involvements at these finals. For Algeria, the loss ended their run of reaching the WAFCON semi-final and qualifying for their first FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil, the same country that hosted their men's team's inaugural World Cup in 2014.