Chawinga Sisters Stun Super Falcons as Malawi Announce Themselves on the Big Stage: Full Reaction from Both Coaches - WAFCON 2026

Rabat, Morocco - Nigeria's title defence began with a jolt on Tuesday night as WAFCON debutants Malawi handed the Super Falcons a stunning 3-2 defeat in the Group C opener at Stade El Barid, one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history.

For a brief moment, it looked like business as usual. The first half ended goalless, with Malawi's Scorchers holding firm despite being on the biggest stage for the first time in their history. But football has a habit of humbling the favourites, just as South Africa lost to Tanzania few days ago, Nigeria would also lose to the debutant, Malawi.

How It Happened

The game changed in the 69th minute when Temwa Chawinga, opened the scoring. Six minutes later her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, doubled Malawi's advantage, and suddenly the ten time African champions found themselves staring at an unthinkable scoreline.

Nigeria responded late in the game. Rasheedat Ajibade converted a stoppage time penalty to pull one back and give the Falcons a lifeline. But before the comeback could take shape, Temwa Chawinga struck again in the 95th minute to complete her brace and restore Malawi's two goal cushion. Uchenna Kanu grabbed a late consolation deep into added time, finishing 3-2, but there was no time left for Nigeria to find an equaliser.

The Sisters Who Wrote History

Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga were the story of the match, combining for all three of Malawi's goals and etching their names into WAFCON history as the scorers of the nation's first ever goals at the tournament. It is a rare and remarkable feat for siblings to headline a result of this magnitude against the continent's most decorated women's national team, and it will be the lasting image of Malawi's tournament debut regardless of how the group stage ends.

What the Coaches Said

Malawi's head coach, Lovemore Fazili, did not hide his satisfaction after the final whistle, crediting a blend of continuity and professional experience within his squad. He pointed to nearly four years of the group playing together, reinforced by a steady run of international friendlies, as the foundation for the performance. Asked about the tactical shift that opened Nigeria up in the second half, he confirmed it was a deliberate switch to long balls into the Nigerian half, designed to unsettle the Falcons' back line. He was careful to add that his side does not see itself as underdogs anymore, even as they treat the win as a bonus rather than an endpoint, with tougher tests against Zambia and Egypt still to come.

Nigeria's coach, Justine Madugu, was measured and accountable in his response. He praised the effort of his players while acknowledging that individual mistakes were ultimately punished. On the questions around personnel selections and defensive positioning, he defended his choices and reminded reporters that selection is always performance based. He pushed back firmly on suggestions that social media use had been a distraction, and stood behind his goalkeeper despite conceding three goals, calling it a collective responsibility rather than an individual failing. Perhaps most notably, he drew a direct parallel to 2018, when Nigeria also opened with a loss before going on to win the title, a reminder that a difficult start is not necessarily a fatal one.

Group C Standings After Matchday One

• Zambia - 3 points

• Malawi - 3 points

• Nigeria - 0 points

• Egypt - 0 points

Zambia's 6-0 demolition of Egypt on the same day means Group C is already shaping into one of the tightest and most unpredictable groups of the tournament.

What the player said
Nigeria's players struck a tone of accountability rather than excuses in the aftermath. Esther Okoronkwo admitted the performance felt flat and said the squad would go back, learn from the mistakes, and come out sharper against Zambia. She also took responsibility for a tactical switch that saw her crossing the ball more than usual, and was measured on the penalty shout that went against Nigeria, saying only that it should have been reviewed but that she was not going to dwell on it.

Christy Ucheibe was more upbeat, framing the result as simply part of football rather than a sign anything had gone badly wrong, and pointed to the dressing room message from the coach and senior leaders to keep heads up since the tournament is only just beginning.

She drew the same 2018 comparison as her coach, recalling how Nigeria lost their opener that year before going on to win the title, and said she was fully confident the Super Falcons could still qualify for the World Cup and defend their crown.

What's Next

Nigeria will look to respond quickly when they face Zambia in their next fixture, a game that now carries significant weight for their qualification hopes, both for the remainder of WAFCON 2026 and the pathway it opens to the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. History suggests the Super Falcons have recovered from worse starts before. Whether this squad can do the same will define the next chapter of their title defence.