History made! Malawi’s Scorchers stun Ghana to book place at World Cup for the very first time – as nation erupts in wild celebration

Malawi’s Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, have written themselves into the history books after defying the odds to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations – and secure a maiden place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup – with a stunning 2-1 victory over Ghana’s Black Queens on Sunday night.

The remarkable triumph means Malawi will now stand among 32 nations competing across 64 matches and eight host cities when the World Cup kicks off in Brazil – a staggering achievement for a team that arrived at this year’s tournament as the lowest-ranked of all 16 qualifiers.

The Wafcon debutants were given an early scare, conceding after just seven minutes when Alice Kusi’s dangerous run down the right set up a cross for Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, whose volley crept beyond a helpless Malawian defence and kissed the far post on its way into the net.

But the Scorchers refused to be rattled, hitting back just five minutes later through star forward Temwa Chawinga, who unleashed a thunderous strike from the edge of the box that took a wicked deflection on its way past the despairing Ghanaian goalkeeper, sending the two sides in level at the break.

The second

7-482×600.jpg” alt=”Nyasa Times”>

half became a fierce battle for supremacy, with possession split evenly between the two sides as neither team could find a clear advantage. But it was Malawi who ultimately seized the moment that mattered most, breaking the deadlock in the 79th minute in scenes that will live long in the memory of Malawian football fans.

Chawinga once again proved the architect, shaking off her marker on the right flank before laying the ball across to 20-year-old Rose Kadzere, who showed remarkable composure to beat a Ghanaian defender before slotting confidently past the goalkeeper to send Malawian supporters into raptures.

Ghana threw everything at the Scorchers in the closing stages in a desperate bid to force extra time, but Malawi’s defence held firm to seal one of the greatest results in the history of the country’s football.

The dramatic scenes in Morocco came on a night of shocks across the tournament, with defending champions Nigeria suffering a shock elimination earlier in the evening, beaten 1-0 by Cameroon in a result that further underlined just how wide open this year’s competition has become.

Malawi will now face Algeria in Wednesday’s semi-final, kicking off at 19:00hrs at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, as the remarkable Scorchers fairytale continues to capture the imagination of an entire nation already dreaming of a place in the final.