The Scorchers have vowed to fight for nothing less than a win against higher-ranked Zimbabwe this evening as they begin the Tri-Nation Women’s Football Tournament campaign at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe.
The Malawi women’s football team is the lowest ranked team in the five-day tournament that also includes Zambia, but Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili yesterday said his charges are determined to secure victory.
Malawi, ranked 155, face Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors, ranked 130, in a match that kicks off at 5pm. Zambia’s Copper Queens are the highest ranked side at 65.
Malawi and Zambia are using the tournament as part of their preparations for the 2026 CAF TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals from March 17 to April 5 next year in Morocco.
The Tri-Nation event also offers the three teams a perfect opportunity to improve their Fifa rankings and fine-tune ahead of the Cosafa Women’s Championship early next year.
“Although these games are meant to prepare us for upcoming international events, it is important to win to improve our stand on rankings,” said Fazili.
He said the Scorchers are determined to prove that their historic qualification to the 2026 Wafcon finals was not by sheer luck, but owing to the tremendous progress Malawi women’s football has made.
Scorchers’ France-based captain Tabitha Chawinga, who is expected to lead Malawi’s attacking line alongside fellow exports in France-based Rose Kabzere and Sweden-based Faith Chinzimu, said they are more than ready to make the country proud.
The Scorchers made the Wafcon finals grade after beating Angola 2-0 in their last qualifying match at BNS after the first leg ended goal-less away in Luanda, Angola.
On the other hand, Mighty Warriors have also made good progress in recent times despite missing the Wafcon finals, having lost to Angola 5-4 on post-match penaltyies following a three-all aggregate score in their last qualifying game.
After today’s match, Malawi play against Zambia on Sunday in their second fixture.
The competition climaxes Tuesday, December 2, with a clash between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
