Malawi And Cape Verde Make WAFCON 2026 Finals For The First Time

Twelve nations from Africa have already qualified for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026 finals. With the tournament expanding from 12 to 16 teams, this edition promises to showcase fresh stories, emerging talent, and unprecedented opportunities. Notably, Malawi and Cape Verde are set to make their debut, marking a significant milestone for players and staff and contributing to the ongoing growth of women’s football across the continent. While the process for determining the remaining four spots is still pending clarification, this expansion allows for the possibility of additional debutants, ensuring that this WAFCON edition will be more inclusive, competitive, and transformative than ever before.

Malawi Scorchers Make Their Mark

The Malawi Scorchers secured their place in the expanded 16-team 2026 WAFCON finals with a 2-0 second-leg victory over Angola, powered by a late brace from defensive midfielder Faith Chinzimu. This historic achievement provides a platform for Malawi’s standout stars, sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, to shine on the continental stage. Tabitha, a seasoned forward with OL Lyon, brings European club experience, while Temwa, the 2024 NWSL MVP, adds elite-level speed and goal-scoring ability. Together, they elevate Malawi’s attacking potential and give the Scorchers a genuine chance to compete with Africa’s established sides.

Malawi’s qualification is emblematic of a broader transformation in African women’s football. The Scorchers’ success demonstrates that structured investment, strong coaching, and emerging star talent now allow nations outside traditional powerhouses to contend at the highest level. Their journey reflects not only tactical discipline but also the resilience and ambition of the squad, signalling that African women’s football is expanding both in quality and competitiveness.

Cape Verde Stuns in West Africa

Meanwhile, Cape Verde has made history in West Africa. Following the men’s team securing a FIFA World Cup 2026 berth, the women’s team has now delivered one of the brightest chapters in Cape Verdean sport by qualifying for their first WAFCON finals. After a narrow first-leg defeat to Mali, Cape Verde staged a thrilling comeback in Bamako, winning 4-2 and clinching a 4-3 aggregate victory. Key players Larissa Melo, Ivânia Moreira, and Elia Vieira led the charge, while an own goal from Mali added to the island nation’s dramatic triumph.

Cape Verde’s success highlights the growing strength of women’s football in smaller African nations. It challenges the dominance of traditional powerhouses and demonstrates that African football is increasingly competitive across more geographies. The team’s collective resilience, tactical intelligence, and composure under pressure signal that even debutants can create memorable moments on the continental stage.

Commercial and Cultural Significance

The broader implications of these qualifications extend beyond the pitch. The inclusion of emerging nations like Malawi and Cape Verde marks a major commercial inflexion point for African women’s football. With WAFCON expanding from 12 to 16 teams, new regions bring new audiences, untapped sponsorship opportunities, and additional broadcast inventory. African women’s football is no longer just a social-impact story; it is a strategic growth market, attracting attention from sponsors and media eager to engage previously underserved audiences.

CAF’s expansion underscores its commitment to growing the women’s game. While the mechanism for deciding the remaining four spots in 2026 is yet to be clarified, the move reflects a more inclusive, commercially viable tournament. For established powers, it provides a larger stage to showcase talent; for rising nations, it is a chance to make history and cultivate fan engagement.

Stars and Storylines to Watch

Key players will shape the narrative at WAFCON 2026. For Malawi, the Chawinga sisters will drive the team’s attacking strategy, while Faith Chinzimu exemplifies the rising quality of domestic and regional talent. Cape Verde’s stars, Melo, Moreira, and Vieira, have already proven that debutants can compete with tactical intelligence and mental resilience. These storylines promise excitement and drama for fans while elevating the profile of African women’s football internationally.

A New Chapter for African Women’s Football

The rise of debutants like Malawi and Cape Verde signals a democratisation of African women’s football. For decades, the continental stage was dominated by a few nations: Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana. While these teams remain central, the emergence of new qualifiers demonstrates growing competitiveness and highlights untapped potential. CAF’s expansion further emphasises inclusivity, providing platforms for emerging nations to challenge assumptions, inspire new talent, and deepen fan engagement.

For supporters, WAFCON 2026 will offer fresh narratives, debutant excitement, and the emergence of new stars. For players, it represents the chance to elevate careers and attract professional opportunities abroad. Beyond the pitch, the tournament promises commercial growth, cultural pride, and broader recognition of African women’s football as a market and a spectacle.

The qualification of these two nations signals that African women’s football is entering an exciting, transformative era, where new talent, new audiences, and new markets will define the future of the sport. For Malawi and Cape Verde, the road to WAFCON 2026 is just beginning, but their historic debut already cements them as trailblazers in African football history, paving the way for more nations to join the continental competition in the years to come.