Malawi National Women’s Football Team head coach Lovemore Fazili says the Scorchers will treat Thursday’s friendly against Ghana as if the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations has already started.
The Scorchers will face Ghana on Thursday, 23 July 2026, in their final pre-tournament friendly as they continue preparations for their maiden WAFCON appearance in Morocco.
The two teams last met last year when Ghana were preparing for WAFCON, while Malawi were building up for their qualification match against Angola. Ghana won the match 3-1, with Tendai Sani, who is part of the current WAFCON squad, scoring the consolation goal for the Scorchers.
Fazili said the Ghana match will be a tough but important test for the team before the tournament.
“Playing Ghana tomorrow, obviously the game is going to be a good game and a tough game for that matter. Despite it being a friendly match, we have trained and tried to sort out areas that we did not do well during the Morocco game,” said Fazili.
“It is a game we are taking seriously. Despite it being a friendly match, we are treating this game as if we have already started the tournament,” he added.
Fazili also said some players who did not feature against Morocco are expected to be given a chance against Ghana, although he stressed the importance of maintaining team balance and combinations.
“Some of the players who did not play when we faced Morocco will be seen in tomorrow’s game, but obviously it is not all the time that we should change the whole team,” he said.
“You can bear with me that if we change the whole team, then what is the purpose of doing that? The purpose is to build combinations and have a strong team. Some of the players who did not play will play, and some we are going to use during the tournament,” said Fazili.
The coach also welcomed the return of vice-captain Temwa Chawinga, saying her presence has strengthened the attacking options.
“We are happy that Temwa is back, which means even upfront she is here to assist us. With the other strikers, the coordination during training has been very good. We have almost tried to fix all departments in the team,” said Fazili.
He added that a positive result against Ghana would boost the team’s morale ahead of the continental showpiece.
“A win will give us morale. Myself, the technical panel and the players know the importance of the Ghana game,” he said.
The Scorchers are in Group C alongside neighbours Zambia, the Copper Queens, the Cleopatras of Egypt and defending champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria.
Malawi will open their campaign against Nigeria on 28 July 2026 at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, before facing Egypt on 1 August at Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat. The Scorchers will conclude the group stage against Zambia on 5 August at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the quarterfinals.
