Malawi's remarkable journey at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations continued in dramatic fashion as sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga combined for three goals in a thrilling 3-1 win over Algeria in Rabat, sending the Scorchers into their first-ever Wafcon final.
Despite being the lowest-ranked team competing in Morocco, Malawi have now toppled three heavyweights on their way to the showpiece, having already eliminated Nigeria and Ghana earlier in the competition. The victory over Algeria came in a chaotic, high-intensity contest that featured two VAR-assisted red cards in the first half alone and numerous missed chances from both teams.
The breakthrough arrived in the 33rd minute when captain Tabitha Chawinga produced a moment of pure improvisation. With her back to goal, she connected with a corner delivered by Asimenye Simwaka - a player who competed in 200m and 400m sprint events at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow just two weeks earlier - and executed an overhead kick that struck the crossbar before spinning agonizingly over the line, wrong-footing Algeria goalkeeper Chloe N'Gazi in the process.
That opener came shortly after Algeria had already been reduced to ten players, with defender Morgane Belkhiter sent off following a VAR review for denying Tabitha a clear goalscoring chance. Replays showed contact on the back of the heel, though the severity of the punishment appeared debatable given the challenge occurred some distance from goal.
Malawi doubled their advantage in the opening minute of first-half stoppage time when younger sister Temwa rounded N'Gazi and slotted home calmly to make it 2-0. Algeria's misery deepened moments later when midfielder Rose Kadzere was also shown a red card after an extended VAR check for a reckless, studs-up challenge on Marine Dafeur inside the penalty area - a decision that looked justified upon review.
Even with a two-goal cushion and a numerical advantage, Malawi were made to work in the second half. Both Temwa Chawinga and Algeria's Melissa Bethi squandered clear openings early in the period before Ikram Adjabi gave the hosts hope in the 60th minute. Dafeur latched onto a poorly defended free-kick and set up Adjabi, who fired home on the volley to cut the deficit to 2-1.
However, any hopes of an Algerian comeback were extinguished when Tabitha Chawinga struck again, driving into the box virtually unopposed before finishing calmly from close range to restore Malawi's two-goal cushion and settle the contest.
The result cements an extraordinary underdog story for Malawi, ranked 153rd in the world, who become just the second team - and the first true debutant excluding the inaugural 1998 edition - to reach a Wafcon final. The Scorchers have already secured qualification for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil by virtue of their semi-final run, but a place in the final has raised the stakes even further.
The Chawinga sisters have been central to Malawi's success throughout the tournament, combining for eight of the team's 12 goals - five from Temwa and three from Tabitha. Both arrived in Morocco with considerable reputations, Tabitha having helped OL Lyonnes claim another French league title, while Temwa was named MVP and claimed a second golden boot with NWSL side Kansas City Current.
Malawi will now await the winner of the other semi-final between hosts Morocco and Cameroon, with Sunday's final in Rabat kicking off at 19:00 GMT. Victory would make the Scorchers only the fourth nation ever to lift the Wafcon trophy, completing one of the most remarkable stories in the tournament's history.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.