Bibles, gospel songs and jubilant scenes: FA Malawi chief Haiya leads euphoric dressing room party 

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya was at the heart of jubilant scenes in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday night, as he led wild celebrations in the Scorchers’ dressing room after the team secured a historic place in the WAFCON quarter-finals.

Despite the side losing 2-1 to Zambia on the pitch, results elsewhere meant Malawi topped their group – and the mood inside the dressing room afterwards was one of pure euphoria rather than disappointment.

Haiya stormed straight into the changing room to join his players, leading a raucous singing celebration filled with gospel songs praising God, which the squad enthusiastically echoed back in full chorus.

Remarkable footage from the scenes showed several players clutching the Holy Bible as they danced and sang, in an outpouring of gratitude and joy that captured the significance of the achievement for a nation making history on the continental stage.

“This is a milestone truly worth celebrating for Malawian football,” a beaming Haiya declared, as the celebrations continued late into the night.

The scenes underline just how significant qualification is for the small southern African nation, who arrived at the tournament as the lowest-ranked of all 16 qualifiers, yet defied the odds to finish top of a group containing footballing heavyweights Nigeria and Zambia.

Malawi will now face either Ghana or Mali in the quarter-finals, with a place in the semi-finals – and a historic ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil – on the line, giving the small nation’s football-mad supporters even more reason to believe a fairytale run may be on the cards.

For a country with limited footballing pedigree on the global stage, Wednesday’s achievement represents arguably the greatest moment in the history of Malawian women’s football, and one that will be remembered for years to come regardless of what happens next in Morocco.