Malawi’s media celebrate Scorchers’ homecoming
Malawi’s Thursday daily newspapers and news outlets were dominated by coverage of the Scorchers’ return home, as the Malawi Women’s National Football Team arrived back in the country following their runners-up finish at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The Daily Times led with “Heroines’ Welcome” across its sport pages, reporting that First Lady Gertrude Mutharika led people “from all walks of life” in welcoming the team home.
The paper said the Scorchers arrived at Kamuzu International Airport at 4:30pm, where they were accorded a water cannon salute from two fire trucks before disembarking to ululation from a large crowd.
According to the paper, Mutharika, dressed in a Scorchers red tracksuit, personally greeted each player as they stepped off the plane, though she did not deliver a speech at the airport.
The Nation similarly splashed on the homecoming, with the headline “Scorchers’ grand homecoming” and later “Welcome home the Scorchers.”
The paper reported that the team finished as runners-up on their tournament debut, having qualified for the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Brazil despite entering the competition as the lowest-ranked side among the 16 teams at the finals.
The Nation’s coverage included images of Captain Yolanda Kaunda and co-pilot Winnie Msachi, who flew the team home, as well as scenes of supporters lining the streets of Lilongwe, including one fan dressed in a red bodysuit bearing goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo’s name and number.
A separate Nation report, headlined “Welcome home the Scorchers,” said the capital “came to a standstill” as the team arrived, with several cabinet ministers, parliamentarians and senior government officials present at the airport alongside the First Lady.
The paper’s photo essay, captured by photojournalist Carolyn Mkandawire, highlighted what it called a “rare moment” of parliamentarians from different political parties joining the celebrations together, as well as children from the Mpira Mmudzi Mwathu programme lining up to greet the team.
Elsewhere, Nyasa Times online reported that Sunbird Tourism plc hosted the Scorchers on their arrival and carried separate coverage of National Bank of Malawi’s reaction to its WAFCON watch parties.
Across the daily newspaper and Nyasa Times online, Capital FM, Zodiak, the coverage struck a similar tone: a rare display of national unity, with images of the First Lady, cabinet ministers and ordinary Malawians of different political affiliations coming together to celebrate a team that entered the tournament with little expectation and returned home as continental runners-up and newly qualified for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
