Scorchers will face Angola in 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualification second round.
This follows Angola’s 5-4 victory over Zimbabwe in post-match penalties after a 3-3 tie over two-legs.
Zimbabwe won 2-1 at home while Angola won the reverse fixture also 2-1 for the match to be decided in post-match penalties on Wednesday.
from Zambia’s Barbara Banda | FAZ
Scorchers, on the other hand, got a walk-over after Congo pulled out of the competition in the first-round.
Coach Lovemore Fazili in an interview yesterday called for thorough preparations for the two-legged tie against Angola who are ranked 30th by Fifa, three places above Scorchers.
The tactician described the fixture as tricky and that Scorchers will need to exercise caution if they are to qualify for the finals.
He said: “It’s a tricky fixture, especially since many expected Zimbabwe to progress. We need to plan well, continue playing friendly matches, and analyse Angola’s style of play. As a coach, I will do my best to assess their strengths and weaknesses.”
With just the two-legged qualifier left for the team to qualify for finals, Fazili said this is a motivation on its own.
“It is a very big motivation because after so many years Malawi has never competed in Wafcon qualifiers and we will try as much as possible to have a very strong team to compete with Angola and qualify,” he said.
The Scorchers last faced Angola in the 2021 Cosafa Women’s Championship, where Malawi secured a 2-0 victory.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka in an interview said they will ensure the team gets the best preparations for the match.
He said: “This is an opportunity for the Scorchers to qualify for the Women’s Afcon for the first time. A win in one match and we will make it to Morocco finals. FAM will ensure that we don’t’ miss this opportunity.”
But Scorchers’ challenge has always been lack of international friendly matches to keep the team active ahead of competitions.
For the first time, Malawi played two international friendly matches against Zambia’s Copper Queens during last week’s Fifa international window, winning one and losing the other.
Zakazaka said they association has already started mobilising resources to ensure that the Scorchers remain active between now and October.
He said: “The new administration made a commitment to ensure that the Scorchers are active in all Fifa international dates and we will do that.
“We will mobilise resource for the Scorchers to play in international Fifa dates that fall between now and October.”
The 2026 Women’s Afcon qualification has two rounds of competition.
In the first round, 32 teams ranked seventh and below played home-and-away two-legged ties.
The 16 winners have advanced to the second round, where they will be joined by the six teams that are a bye.
The winners will qualify for the final tournament in Morocco.
