Malawi’s Scorchers urged to temper expectations ahead of maiden Wafcon

Malawi’s women’s national football team, the Scorchers, are in the final stages of preparation for their first appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), which runs from 26 July to 16 August in Morocco.

Local analysts have expressed confidence in the squad but say expectations should be kept realistic given the strength of Malawi’s opponents in the group stage.

The Scorchers travelled to Morocco two weeks before the tournament for an extended training camp, which includes friendlies against hosts Morocco and against Ghana.

Football analyst Charles Nyirenda said reaching the knockout stage would represent a strong outcome for a team making its tournament debut.

“Being the first time for the team, we shouldn’t set our expectations too high. At least reaching the knockout phase would be a huge bonus,” he said.

“From there onwards it would just be a matter of self-belief that can propel them forward.”

Nyirenda added that there would be no straightforward fixtures at the tournament, but said Malawi’s squad contained players capable of competing at the highest level.

“The squad has amongst the best players in global women’s football and the possibilities of doing well do exist provided the technical panel and other support experts do their homework well,” he said.

Fellow analyst Anointed Kamsampha said the team’s performance would depend heavily on their physical and mental readiness, particularly against tournament favourites Nigeria.

“We have the potential to compete because most of our players are being recognized as best players internationally. It will just depend on how prepared they are psychologically to withstand the heat against teams like Nigeria,” he said.

The Football Association of Malawi added three players — Chisomo Banda, Lyna James and Tendai Sani — to the 23-player squad this week, with the trio set to fly out to join the team on 17 July.

Malawi were drawn in Group C alongside holders Nigeria, Egypt and regional rivals Zambia, and begin their campaign against Nigeria on 28 July.

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