Tournament debutants Malawi produced one of the biggest upsets in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history after defeating defending champions Nigeria 3-2 in their 2026 WAFCON group-stage clash in Rabat, Morocco.
The victory marked Malawi’s first-ever win in the competition and handed the ten-time champions a shock defeat against a side making its tournament debut.
Nigeria dominated possession and created several chances in the first half but failed to convert their opportunities.
The breakthrough came in the 69th minute when Temwa Chawinga gave Malawi the lead. Her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, doubled the advantage moments later to put the Scorchers firmly in control.
The Super Falcons responded in stoppage time when captain Rasheedat Ajibade converted a penalty in the 91st minute to reduce the deficit.
However, Temwa Chawinga struck again deep into added time to restore Malawi’s two-goal cushion and complete her brace.
Nigeria continued to press forward and Uchenna Kanu scored a late goal, but the Super Falcons were unable to complete the comeback as the match ended 3-2 in favour of Malawi.
The result is the first time Nigeria have lost to a tournament debutant in WAFCON history and significantly boosts Malawi’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to a crucial fixture against Zambia on Saturday. The Copper Queens began their campaign in emphatic fashion with a 6-0 victory over Egypt.
The upcoming encounter promises to be highly competitive, especially after Nigeria defeated Zambia 5-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2024 WAFCON.
