The Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili has challenged his players to go one step further and win the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) after reaching their firts ever final.
The Malawi Women’s National Football Team will face Cameroon in Sunday’s final after producing another impressing performance to beat Algeria 3-1 in the semi-finals.
Fazili now faces an even bigger challenge against Cameroon, who have also navigated a difficult route to the final.
The Indomitable Lionesses eliminated defending champions Nigeria 1-0 in the quarter-finals before seeing off hosts Morocco 3-1 on penalties in the semi-finals.
The final pits Cameroon, ranked 66th in the Fifa rankings while Malawi is 153rd.
But Fazili believes Malawi can produce one final shock.
He said: “This will be a very tough final because Cameroon are a strong side and they have experience at this level. We respect Cameroon, but we also believe in ourselves.
“We are waiting for this game on Sunday. We will try to play well and win because this is now the final stage. This is what we have been waiting for for several months.”
Fazili, who also won the Cosafa Women’s Championship in 2023, said reaching the final was the most extraordinary achievement of his coaching career, but said winning the title is a now must.
He said: “I have been in this coaching career for so long and I have achieved a lot. But this one, reaching the Wafcon final, is something extraordinary.
“I can’t believe it has happened. All I can say is I thank God for this achievement. I thank everyone who has contributed to this succes, my fellow coaches and the players.”
But Fazili admitted that the semi-final against Algeria was far from straight-forward.
He said: “The match was a difficult one because both teams were fighting to go to the final. We started with an average performance in the first-half.”
The Scorchers had an early advantage after an Algeria player was red-carded in the 22nd minute.
Malawi utilised the advantage and went on to lead 2-0 at half-time with goals from Chawinga sisters Temwa and Tabitha.
But just before recess, the Scorchers were also reduced to 10 players after a red card to Rose Kabzere
Still, the Scorchers found their rhythm and finished the match strongly with Tabitha completing a brace to secure their place in the final.
The Scorchers captain, who was named Player of the Match, in an interview said with self-belief they can achieve the impossible.
“We are aware of how tough the task at hand is. But we have come this far because of self-belief and determination. We believe we can conquer Cameroon and be champions of Africa,” she said.
Her sister, Temwa, who is joint leading scorer with Zambian Barbra Banda with five goals, said her focus is also on helping Malawi lift the continental trophy.
“It will be by God’s grace to win the Golden Boot, but my mind is on helping my team win the trophy,” she said.
