The Scorchers have vowed to fight for nothing less than a win when they face Angola this afternoon in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) final qualification round first leg away in Luanda.
Although Angola is ranked 152 on the Fifa women’s rankings, three steps above Malawi, Scorchers’ coach Lovemore Fazili believes his charges will defy the odds and see off their hosts.
He said an away victory at the Estádio 11 de Novembro will be vital in boosting Malawi’s qualification chances ahead of their return leg at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe next Tuesday.
The winner of the two legs will qualify for the continental showpiece for the first time.
The tournament is scheduled for Morocco between March 17 and April 3 next year.
“The away fixture will be a tough assignment considering that we are facing higher-ranked opponents at their own backyard,” said Fazili.
But with the kind of arsenal we have, we do not see ourselves losing. Malawians are expecting a lot from us and we will do our best not to disappoint.”
Malawi progressed to the final round after their first round opponents Congo Brazzaville withdrew from the qualifiers while Angola secured their spot after beating Zimbabwe on post-match penalties following a 3-3 aggregate stalemate.
The Scorchers flew to Angola on Tuesday aboard a chartered plane and have a 25-player squad full of stars, including France-based striker and captain Tabitha Chawinga.
Another France-based forward Rose Kabzere, Kazakhstan-based striker Vanessa Chikupila and Sweden-based midfielder Faith Chinzimu are also available alongside Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)-based defender Chimwemwe Madise and Zambia-based attackers Tendai Sani and Chisomo Banda.
The only notable absentee is USA-based free-scoring striker Temwa Chawinga who excused herself after picking an injury during a match involving her club Kansas City Current a few days ago.
According to www.panafricafootball.com, Angola Women’s team is well-prepared for the showdown with their coach Sousa Garcia slotting at least four of their foreign-based stars into their 23-player squad which includes Brazil-based striker Patricia Seteco.
Others are Sweden-based Flora Lacho, Greece-based Alexandra Soares and Sarah Luvumba, who is based in DRC.
Ahead of this afternoon’s clash, Malawi played eight international friendlies, losing five and winning three. They played twice against South Africa, Zambia and Lesotho and once each against Ghana and Morocco.
