The Tri-Nation Women’s Football Tournament will get underway this evening as hosts Malawi take on Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Buoyed by the home crowd, the Scorchers will be looking for a positive start.
A win in this evening’s match would boost their confidence going into final match against Zambia’s Copper Queens at the same venue on Sunday.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Malawi and Zimbabwe in women’s football at the senior level.
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On paper, the Scorchers are favourites to win the tie but Zimbabwe have shown great improvements in recent times, having finished fourth during the Cosafa Women’s Championship following a 2-0 loss to Mozambique in 2023.
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Malawi go into the match against Zimbabwe with a spring in their step after qualifying for the 2026 Caf TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals after beating Angola 2-0 on aggregate.
Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili said the girls were in high spirits ahead of the opener against Zimbabwe.
“We have ticked all the boxes and we are ready to go,” Fazili said.
Fazili said the tournament was an opportunity to assess some players.
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“We will likely try some new players as we are looking forward to giving everyone a chance to play. We are preparing for the Wafcon finals and, as such, we need to have all the players ready for the big stage,” he said.
Fazili will be without United States-based striker Temwa Chawinga and Asimenye Simwaka due to injuries.
France-based captain Tabitha Chawinga, Rose Kabzere, Faith Chimzimu, Chimwemwe Madise, Sabina Thom and Vanesa Chikupira are available for selection.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, arrived in the country ahead of the tournament.
The Mighty Warriors have assembled a local squad comprising Cynthia Shonga, Alice Moyo, Caroline Mangwai and Anita Ncube.
The tournament will be concluded on Tuesday as Zambia will meet Zimbabwe at the same venue.
All the three teams are using the tournament as part of preparations for next year’s Cosafa Women’s Championship.
Zambia and Malawi are also preparing for the 2026 Wafcon finals to be staged from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco.
