The Scorchers’ fairy-tale run at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) came to a heartbreaking end last night following a 3-0 loss to Cameroon at Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
In a match monitored on SuperSport Television, the Malawi Women’s National Football Team trudged off the pitch with their shoulders slumped in despair, but to their credit, they fought a good fight, gave it their all and showed true grit.
The Scorchers will head back home today with their heads held high after an eye catching adventure that saw them defying the odds to reach the final in their debut appearance that charmed a football world which delights in the spoils of the underdog.
It was not all doom-and-gloom for Malawi as they found perfect solace in their US-based star forward Temwa Chawinga winning the Golden Boot Award with five goals and two assists.
The Scorchers will also cart home a total $900 000 (about K1.57 billion) comprising $750 000 as runners-up prize and $150 000 appearance fee.
Watched by, among others Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe as well as Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya, Malawi looked out of sorts without their France-based playmaker Rose Kabzere who was serving a red card. They conceded all the goals in the first half.
The Scorchers’ deadly duo of Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga was kept under lock and key for the better part of the match and on the occasions that they found an avenue to attack, the West Africans swarmed on them.
Marie Ngah scored twice, either side of Naomi Ndjoah Eto’s goal, as the Indomitable Lionesses ended their long wait for continental glory.
Ngah opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Ndjoah Eto doubled the advantage 10 minutes later after being set up by Myriam Nyadjou.
Ngah then struck again three minutes into first-half stoppage time, this time from an assist by Ndjoah Eto, to effectively settle the contest before the interval.
The victory made Cameroon the fourth different nation to win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, joining Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.
It also ended a painful sequence of three previous final defeats for the Indomitable Lionesses, who had lost to Nigeria in deciding matches in 2004, 2014 and 2016.
Meanwhile, First Lady Gertrude Mutharika has saluted the Scorchers for their remarkable run at Wafcon.
In a post on her Facebook page, the First lady said: “Tough luck tonight, but what a journey!
“We came, we saw and we conquered! True to our nickname, the Scorchers set the African continent ablaze at a time when nobody expected it.
“Making it to the Wafcon final was a dream, one that has redefined our vision for football in Malawi. Being your number one fan makes me endlessly proud.”
The Scorchers reached the final after beating Algeria 3-1 in the semis while in the quarter-final, they edged Ghana 2-1 to punch their ticket to the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup.
In the group stage, they beat dethroned champions and 10-time winners Super Falcons 3-2 in their Group C opener before seeing-off Egypt’s Cleopatra 3-1 and losing to neighbours Zambia’s Copper Queens 2-1. They sailed to the knockout stages after topping Group C on aggregate, having tied on five points with Nigeria and Zambia.
