Malawi, one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, will face Ghana on Sunday in Rabat for a place in the semi-finals.
The match carries extra importance because the winner will automatically qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, while also keeping alive their hopes of winning the WAFCON title for the first time.
Malawi have impressed in their debut appearance at the tournament. The Scorchers started their campaign with a 3-2 victory over defending champions Nigeria before beating Egypt 3-1 to finish top of Group C.
Ghana, meanwhile, had to work hard to reach the quarter-finals but remain focused on returning to the World Cup.
“We really want to go back,” Ghana goalkeeper Cynthia Konlan Findib said at the pre-match press conference.
The Black Queens have not played at the FIFA Women’s World Cup since 2007 and are now one win away from securing their return to the global tournament.
Under the new qualification format, the four teams that win their quarter-final matches will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The losing teams will still have another chance through an inter-continental qualifying round.
One of the biggest concerns for Ghana will be Malawi’s attacking pair, Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga. The two sisters have played a major role in Malawi’s impressive run at the tournament.
Ghana coach Kim Lars Björkgren, however, believes Malawi deserve to be taken seriously as a team and not simply as a surprise package.
“They are a very good and hardworking group,” he said, while recalling a previous friendly between the two sides that was a physical encounter.
Björkgren knows Ghana must find the right balance against Malawi’s attacking threat.
“We can’t just defend with 11 players,” he said, stressing the need for his team to remain dangerous going forward while dealing with the Chawinga sisters.
Goalkeeper Konlan also highlighted the importance of communication among Ghana’s defenders. The 23-year-old FC Smartex goalkeeper believes the Black Queens have the quality to contain Malawi’s attacking stars if they stick to their game plan.
Malawi are equally determined to continue their historic campaign.
“We believe in God. We believe in our team,” coach Lovemore Fazili said, insisting that his team is focused only on the next match.
Captain Tabitha Chawinga is also aware of what qualification for the World Cup would mean for Malawi and the next generation of players in the country.
“If we beat Ghana, we’ve qualified for the World Cup,” she said.
For Ghana, controlling the spaces around the Chawinga sisters will be important, but the Black Queens will also have to maintain their own style of play.
Björkgren believes Ghana have improved as the tournament has progressed. After a difficult start, the team showed progress against Cameroon before producing what he described as a more complete performance against Mali.
The Black Queens will also need to improve their game management, particularly in the closing stages of matches. Ghana have conceded some opportunities late in games, including from set pieces, and the coach has stressed the need to manage situations better when the team is in a favourable position.
Those details could prove important against Malawi, who have already shown that they can punish mistakes.
The Scorchers have pace in transition, Temwa Chawinga’s power and Tabitha Chawinga’s intelligence in attack, making them a difficult side to contain.
Ghana, however, have also shown defensive strength, conceding only two goals since the start of the tournament.
The Black Queens also have a strong record against teams making their WAFCON debut. In their previous nine encounters with debutants, Ghana have won eight times and lost once.
Their only defeat against a debutant came against Nigeria in the final of the first WAFCON in 1998, when all the participating teams were making their debut.
With a place in the semi-finals and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup at stake, Ghana and Malawi now face one of the biggest matches of their tournament.
