By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Malawi produced another stunning result at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, coming from behind to defeat Ghana 2-1 and reach the semi-finals in their first appearance at the tournament.

The Scorchers fell behind as early as the seventh minute when Ghana forward Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah opened the scoring, but Malawi responded five minutes later through Temwa Chawinga to restore parity.

The two sides went into the half-time break level at 1-1, setting up a tense second half at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.

Malawi continued to press after the restart and were rewarded in the 79th minute when Rose Kadzere scored to complete the comeback and put the debutants 2-1 ahead.

Ghana pushed for an equaliser during the closing stages, but Malawi held on to secure one of the biggest results in their women’s football history.

The victory sends Malawi into the WAFCON semi-finals and guarantees them automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

CAF confirmed before the quarter-final that the winners of the last-eight ties would advance to the semi-finals and secure World Cup qualification.

Malawi‘s achievement is particularly remarkable because this is their first-ever appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. They had already made history by reaching the knockout stage, finishing top of Group C despite a 2-1 defeat to Zambia in their final group match.

The Scorchers had also announced themselves in spectacular fashion earlier in the tournament, defeating defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in their opening Group C match. The Football Association of Malawi described that victory as historic.

Against Ghana, however, it was Kadzere who provided the decisive moment, while Temwa Chawinga once again demonstrated her importance to Malawi’s remarkable campaign.

Ghana’s defeat ends their hopes of reaching the semi-finals and securing direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup through the last four.

For Malawi, the journey continues. What began as a historic debut has now turned into a genuine challenge for continental honours, with the Scorchers only two victories away from lifting the WAFCON trophy.

The result also means Malawi have secured their place among Africa’s four semi-finalists and will compete at next year’s expanded global showpiece in Brazil.