Meet Temwa & Tabitha Chawinga, the Sisters Behind Malawi’s WAFCON Dream

Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga share a moment on the pitch during an international match for the Malawi Scorchers.

Are you watching WAFCON? Of course you are! If you’ve come across a player with bright cobalt blue low-cut hair sprinting across the field, creating scoring chances for her teammates and scoring goals for the Malawi team, you’re looking at Temwa Chawinga.

And you bet she’s got a sister on the field and on the same team as well—same position as well—only that she doesn’t have blue hair; she’s got locs on that you’ll see flying as she sprints across the field. That’s Tabitha Chawinga.

They’re known as the Chawinga sisters, and their impact on Malawian football is nothing short of legendary.

Hailing from the Rumphi district in Northern Malawi, the duo spent their early years playing alongside local boys before breaking through at DD Sunshine in Lilongwe. Their chemistry and sheer goalscoring power have transformed the Malawi women’s national football team (the Scorchers), where together they account for roughly a third of all international goals in the team’s history.

Tabitha Chawinga lifts sister Temwa Chawinga as they celebrate securing Malawi’s historic qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

For younger sister Temwa, her entire global career trajectory traces back to Tabitha’s unwavering belief and personal sacrifice. Speaking on her journey, Temwa shared how her elder sister personally guaranteed her big break in Europe:

My sister… she has been there for me always. When I started soccer, I went to Sweden because of her. She opened the door for me. She called me to go there and told the owner of the team, ‘I have a younger sister, she plays well.’ But the owner of the team doubted it and said, ‘It’s not possible in one family to have two players like this.’

My sister went and said, ‘No. I’ll put my money, I’ll book the air ticket, visa, whatever. But when you see that she’s good, you’ll give me back the money.’

So the owner said, ‘All right, we’ll just book the air ticket… we’ll do it because you say so, we trust you.’ That’s why I’m here today because of her.

Temwa Chawinga focuses during an intense agility training session with the Football Association of Malawi.

That gamble paid off massively. Temwa went on to conquer Chinese football with Wuhan Jianghan University before setting the NWSL ablaze with Kansas City Current, where she won the Golden Boot and NWSL MVP. Tabitha, meanwhile, made history as the first African top scorer in Serie A with Inter Milan before joining French giants Olympique Lyonnais.

Tabitha Chawinga cradles her winner’s trophy following a successful campaign with French giants Olympique Lyonnais.

The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco marks Malawi’s historic debut appearance at the tournament, and the Scorchers have turned their maiden run into a sensational story. Spearheaded by the Chawinga sisters, the team kicked off their Group C campaign with a 3–2 win over defending champions Nigeria before following it up with a 3–1 victory against Egypt.

Their momentum only built from there. In a tight quarter-final clash against Ghana, Malawi mounted a second-half comeback to claim a 2–1 victory. That win not only punched their ticket into the WAFCON semi-finals but also secured their historic first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Up next, Malawi face Algeria in a high-stakes semi-final showdown at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat on Wednesday, 12 August 2026, at 18:00 WAT. With a spot in the final on the line, the Scorchers continue their bid to cap off an incredible debut tournament.

Temwa Chawinga celebrates taking home the Woman of the Match award following a standout performance for Malawi at WAFCON 2026.

Kansas City Current striker Temwa Chawinga proudly poses with her NWSL Golden Boot and MVP silverware.