Coach for the Malawi National Women’s Football Team, the Scorchers, Lovemore Fazili, says his squad has gone to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to fight and not as underdogs.
Scorchers will open their debut WAFCON tournament against defending champions and 10-time winners, Nigeria, the Super Falcons, tonight at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
Fazili said his team has something special for the game and will use Nigeria’s weaknesses against them.
“You can not go to the battlefield and aim to get killed. We are going there to fight and the players are aware of why we are here,” he said.
The gaffer also added that small teams tend to stun favourites and will approach the game seriously.
“It is going to be a tough game. Nigeria are the champion, right? But sometimes history in football can change. There will be something positive after 90 minutes,” Fazili said.
Scotchers captain Tabitha Chawinga described the game as a 50-50 affair and they deserve the challenge.
“Nigeria is a good side, so is Malawi, because we qualified for the tournament. This one is giving confidence to the players because they know them (Nigerian players), so they should challenge them,” Chawinga said.
Nigeria Head Coach Justine Madugu said his side will not under-rate the debutants.
“Yes, they are debutants, but they are a very good side. We don’t take anything for granted. Everybody is coming here with a purpose and a mission, so you don’t undermine or underestimate what anybody can do,” Madungu said.
He added that they aim to defend their WAFCON title.
“The team is fully ready and set to go. We will stick to our game plan and our mission,” said the Super Falcons mentor.
This will be the first meeting between Nigeria and Malawi at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria’s record in their previous 17 matches against debutants is 16 wins and one draw.
Malawi will rely on the Chawinga sisters – Tabitha and Temwa, while Nigeria will depend on their strikers Esther Okoronkwo and Chinwendu Ihezuo.
In preparation for the game, Nigeria played two friendlies against Senegal, which they both won 2-1 and 3-0, respectively.
On the other hand, Malawi lost to Morocco’s Lionesses, 2-1, and Ghana’s Black Queens, 4-0.
Both teams are in Group C of the tournament and the other teams, Egypt and Zambia, will battle it out tonight at Rabat Olympic Stadium.
