Sports247 has gone back in time to recall how our discerning reports warned way back in May about the emerging threat being posed by Malawi in the Africa’s women’s continental football terrain.
Two different yet related reports on May 5th and 9th by Sports247 revealed that Malawi had the potential to shock not only Nigeria but the entire continent of Africa – which they are now doing.
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Both reports followed an impressive result that Malawi’s under-20 women’s squad got against Nigeria’s Falconets at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, where Moses Aduku’a side relied on a penalty to get a 2-1 win.
In the wake of that encounter, Malawi’s head of delegation told Sports247 exclusively that they would give everything to win the second leg in Lilongwe and, though they eventually did not, the watching world knew they had taken several steps forward into the thick and thin of Africa’s women’s football scene.
His analysis and verdict has now come to play out, as their senior squad has qualified for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup after spanking Ghana in the quarter-finals of the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they earlier defeated Nigeria 3-2 in their opening match.
That takes us back to May 9th, when the head of delegation revealed that Malawi’s players are taking a lot of inspiration from the giant strides being achieved in women’s football by one of their neighbours, Zambia, in Africa and the world at large.
That was clearly stated by the Malawian under-20 female squad’s head of delegation for the first leg in Ikenne, Dr Lameck Zetu Khonje, who disclosed to Sports247 that the zeal to be like Zambia and play on the global stage inspired the squad towards a gallant performance.
Khonje, who is a lecturer at Mzuzu University, pointed out: “If you check what’s happening in Zambia and Zimbabwe, you can convincingly say Malawi has good examples to follow. It means countries in Central and East Africa are becoming a strong force in women’s football.
“Malawi is also growing, and we will be stronger in a few years to come. Zambia is a little bit ahead of Malawi but, with what our girls did against Nigeria, it means we have become formidable.
“What our girls did showed that we will soon be a strong force in years to come. It also showed that our young girls will put up their best efforts,” Khonje assured.
Sports247 recalls that the lecturer’s words can be likened to ‘the man who saw tomorrow,’ as Malawi have taken Africa by storm and many analysts are even tipping them to win WAFCON 2026
