Forward Temwa Chawinga to Represent Malawi at WAFCON 2026

KANSAS CITY (July 15, 2026) — Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga has been called up by the Malawi Women’s National Team, nicknamed the Scorchers, for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). The tournament, which serves as the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier for African nations, takes place in Morocco from July 26 to Aug. 16.

WAFCON 2026 is the biggest edition in the competition’s history with 16 nations vying for a spot in next summer’s World Cup and a $1 million prize. The tournament will use five venues across the Moroccan cities of Casablanca and Rabat. Malawi will be making its WAFCON debut.

Malawi is in Group C with Nigeria, Zambia and Egypt and will play its matches in Rabat, Morocco’s capital. The Scorchers begin the group stage on Tuesday, July 28, against defending champion Nigeria at 3 p.m. CT before facing Egypt on Saturday, Aug. 1, at noon CT. The final group stage match will kick off at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Aug. 5, vs. Zambia.

More information about WAFCON 2026 can be found HERE.

The star forward debuted for her home country at the age of 18 and scored her first international goal against Zambia in 2016. Chawinga captained Malawi at the 2023 COSAFA Cup where she won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball for scoring nine goals. This will be her first appearance with her national team since appearing in two friendlies against Zambia in February 2025.

Chawinga, who recently signed a contract extension with the Current through 2029, is one of the world’s most dynamic players and clinical goalscorers. The two-time NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner has amassed an astounding 43 goals and 11 assists in 58 regular season appearances. She currently sits third on the 2026 NWSL Golden Boot leaderboard with eight goals and two assists.