Malawi secured a historic place in the semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 after beating Ghana 2-1 on Sunday.
The Scorchers, competing at the Women’s AFCON for the first time, produced another major upset in a remarkable debut campaign. Rose Kadzere scored the decisive goal in the 79th minute to complete Malawi’s comeback and send them into the last four.
The victory also means Malawi will appear at the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Their progress follows earlier group-stage shocks against defending champions Nigeria and Egypt, and underlines the scale of their achievements at this tournament.
Ghana started with greater attacking intent and took the lead after only seven minutes. Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah finished the opening move to give the Black Queens an early advantage.
Malawi responded almost immediately. Their captain and leading forward, Temwa Chawinga, levelled in the 12th minute to restore belief and set up a closely contested encounter.
Ghana appeared to have moved back in front shortly after the interval when Doris Boaduwaa found the net. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, leaving the Black Queens frustrated and the match level.
The result remained in the balance as Ghana continued to press. Their efforts to regain control included bringing on additional attacking players, but Malawi’s defence stayed organised and resisted the pressure.
The Scorchers also remained dangerous when they won possession, using counter-attacking opportunities involving the Chawinga sisters to threaten Ghana’s goal.
That approach eventually produced the winning moment. Kadzere found room inside the penalty area in the 79th minute before keeping her composure to beat the Ghana goalkeeper and put Malawi in front for the first time.
Ghana pushed forward during the closing stages in search of an equaliser, but Malawi defended their lead and held on to complete one of the most important victories in the country’s football history.
The result gives Malawi both a semi-final place and one of Africa’s automatic qualifying positions for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027. Their first appearance at the Women’s AFCON has therefore already delivered a landmark achievement, regardless of what happens in the next round.
Ghana’s route to the global tournament has not been completely closed. The Black Queens, who have not reached the Women’s World Cup since 2007, will enter an African play-off against Cote d’Ivoire.
The winner of that tie will advance to the intercontinental play-offs, where another opportunity to qualify for Brazil 2027 will be available.
For Malawi, though, qualification has already been secured. A campaign that began with their debut at the Women’s AFCON has now taken them into the semi-finals and delivered their first place at a Women’s World Cup.
