Malawi Women’s National Team Coach Lovemore Fazili has admitted that his side has been drawn in a group of death against big teams for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026.
Fazili however believes this is a motivation for the Scorchers to fight hard at the highest level.
Malawi have been drawn in Group C alongside Champions Nigeria, 2022 bronze medalists, Zambia and North African side Egypt.
“On paper, we have been drawn against big teams. It is called the group of death for a reason, but that also gives us hope and motivation to fight at the highest level. We have the defending champions in our group, so we need to analyse all our opponents thoroughly,” Fazili told FAM Media.
Malawi will open their WAFCON campaign against Nigeria on 18 March, face Egypt three days later, and conclude the group stage against neighbours Zambia on 24 March.
Fazili emphasized that preparations will be intensive, with the upcoming COSAFA Women’s Championship playing a key role, particularly in involving local-based players to strengthen squad depth.
“Our preparations will be stiff. We will utilise COSAFA to give opportunities to local players so that we can go to Morocco strongly,” he said.
“We are not changing the squad, but we will expand it to fix loopholes and improve competition within the team.”
Malawi secured their first-ever WAFCON qualification after a 2–0 aggregate victory over Angola at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, marking a historic milestone for women’s football in the country.
The continental showpiece will be staged in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April 2026.
Do we have COSAFA before WAFCON starts? Hopefully we do so we can work on fitness and team bonding before the mamoth task against 🇲🇼🇳🇬 tu Egypt we shall see them at the tournament. The dark horses in the group.