WAFCON 2026: Chawinga Leads Malawi Past Ghana As World Cup Qualification Goes To Playoff
By Sedara Philip
Ghana’s Black Queens have been knocked out of the semi-final race at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) after suffering a 2-1 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in a dramatic quarter-final encounter in Rabat.
The result ends Ghana’s hopes of reaching the last four but keeps their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup dream alive, with the Black Queens now forced to navigate the playoff route for a place at next year’s global tournament in Brazil.
Ghana made an encouraging start and took the lead as early as the seventh minute through Cynthia Boakye-Hlorkah, giving the Black Queens the perfect start to the crucial knockout encounter.
Malawi, however, responded almost immediately.
Five minutes after Ghana’s opener, star forward Temwa Chawinga found the back of the net to restore parity and bring the Scorchers level at 1-1.
Both sides continued to battle for control, but neither could find another breakthrough before halftime.
Ghana returned from the interval determined to reclaim the lead and created opportunities, but Malawi’s defence remained resilient.
The Black Queens thought they had found the breakthrough again, only for their goal to be ruled out following a VAR review, leaving Ghana frustrated.
Malawi grew stronger as the contest progressed and eventually completed their comeback in the 79th minute when Rose Kadzere struck to give the debutants a 2-1 lead.
Ghana pushed forward desperately in search of an equaliser during the closing stages, but Malawi held firm to secure a historic victory and book their place in the WAFCON semi-finals.
The defeat means the Black Queens will not feature in the final four and have missed the opportunity to secure a direct route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Ghana had entered the quarter-final knowing that victory would have secured their return to the global stage for the first time since 2007.
Instead, the Black Queens must regroup and fight through the WAFCON playoff route for a chance to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
The setback is a major disappointment for Ghana, but their World Cup dream is not over yet.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
