Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, will regroup in early February ahead of the 2026 Cosafa Women’s Championship and the TotalEnergies Caf Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals.
The Cosafa Championship is scheduled from February 19 to March 1 in Polokwane, South Africa, while the Wafcon finals will be held from March 17 to April 3 in Morocco.
The Scorchers were drawn in Group C alongside neighbours Zambia, defending champions Nigeria and Egypt.
Coach Lovemore Fazili said the Cosafa Championship would serve as preparation for Wafcon.
“Preparations are underway. We will start camp in early February with local and some foreign-based players. The tournament will help us identify areas for improvement,” he said.
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Fazili confirmed he would strengthen the squad ahead of both competitions.
“We will include new players, particularly those who have been with us for some time. We plan to add a goalkeeper and some defenders,” he said.
He added that the Scorchers will travel to Morocco to compete. “We are going to Morocco not as underdogs. We have a job to do for ourselves and to improve Malawi’s Fifa ranking,” he said.
The Scorchers will face Nigeria on March 18 in Casablanca, Egypt three days later, and neighbours Zambia on March 24.
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Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya, who attended the draw, described it as tough.
“It is a competitive but fair draw. Every match will be a final, and we embrace the challenge with confidence. We are heading to Morocco to compete, not to participate — focused, prepared and determined to make Malawi proud,” he posted on Facebook.
Group A features hosts Morocco, Algeria, Senegal and Kenya. Group B has South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. Group D includes Ghana, Cameroon, Mali and Cape Verde.
Two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals. Semi-finalists will automatically qualify for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
