Temwa Chawinga has never played in a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Not because she has spent her career away from the biggest stages. Over the past two years, no player has been more influential in the American league.
The explanation is much simpler: Malawi had never qualified.
Their debut in Morocco will bring one of the world’s best forwards to Africa’s leading women’s international tournament for the first time.
Temwa was born in Rumphi, northern Malawi, and grew up playing football alongside her older sister, Tabitha. Both had to make their way in a country where opportunities for female footballers were scarce and girls were often discouraged from playing the sport.
Tabitha was the first to reach Europe. She then helped her younger sister secure an opportunity with Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK.
Temwa scored 55 goals in 57 appearances before moving to China in 2020. She was once again following a path that Tabitha already knew, but her numbers soon began to establish a career of her own.
She made 84 appearances and scored 83 goals for Wuhan Jianghan. Temwa won four consecutive league titles and ended 2023 with 51 goals for her club, making her the world’s leading goalscorer across all competitions that year.
Kansas City Current signed her in January 2024.
She adapted to the NWSL immediately. Temwa scored 20 regular-season goals, becoming the first player in the competition’s history to reach that figure in a single campaign.
She also became the first to score against every other team in the league and found the net in eight consecutive regular-season matches.
Temwa finished the campaign with the Golden Boot and the league’s MVP award.
A year later, she won them both again.
Temwa scored 15 goals in 2025 and helped Kansas City win the NWSL Shield with a record 65 points and 21 victories. She was named MVP for a second consecutive season, something no player had previously achieved.
She was no longer merely the younger sister who had followed Tabitha from Malawi to Sweden and China. She had become one of the most dominant forwards in women’s football.
Her game combines speed, power and a constant ability to attack space. She can begin on the wing, carry the ball towards the penalty area or operate as a central striker. When she has room to run, stopping her usually requires more than one defender.
Her relationship with Malawi is also defined by goals.
Temwa made her senior international debut at 18 and captained Malawi to the first COSAFA Women’s Championship in the country’s history in 2023. She scored nine goals and received both the Golden Boot and the tournament’s best player award.
Malawi later secured their historic WAFCON qualification while Temwa was unavailable. Faith Chinzimu, then 18, scored both goals against Angola to seal their place.
Temwa now returns to strengthen a team that has already shown it can make history without her.
The draw has not provided Malawi with a gentle introduction. They share Group C with defending champions Nigeria, Barbra Banda’s Zambia and Egypt. Temwa will arrive at the tournament having scored eight NWSL goals in 2026 and agreed a new Kansas City contract through 2029.
Malawi have never played in a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. Neither has Temwa.
Neither will arrive in Morocco as an unknown quantity.