
The Malawi women’s national football team, the Scorchers, has been handed a free pass to the next round of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers following Congo’s decision to pull out of the competition.
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has announced that the Congolese Football Federation has officially withdrawn its Women’s national team from the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers.
The withdrawal, which is attributed to a lack of competition and preparation, means that the Scorchers will automatically advance to the next round of the qualifiers.
The Scorchers were initially scheduled to play against Congo on February 20 at home, with the return leg away on February 25, 2025. However, with Congo’s withdrawal, Malawi will now face the winner of the tie between Zimbabwe and Angola in October later this year.
FAM has confirmed that it plans to proceed with the team’s camping programme and is working on arranging friendly matches to ensure that the FIFA Window is fully utilised.