Temwa Chawinga 3rd in IFFHS Women’s World Best Top Division Goal Scorer 2023; Sister Tabitha is 18th
Malawi international football player, Tabitha Chawinga is third on the ranking of Women’s World Best Top Division Goal Scorer 2023 — identified after bagging 30 goals in China’s Super League playing for Wuhan.
This ranking is managed by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), which was founded in 1984 in Leipzig, Germany and is registered in Zurich, Switzerland.
Temwa is just four goals away from the top taken by Veronica Corral — playing for Pachuca in Mexico where she scored 34 goals and on second place is Alicia Cervantes — also playing in Mexico for Chivas, who scored 31.
Temwa was described by IFFHS as “the revelation from Malawi — record woman in China’s Super League” following her exceptional exploits there alongside her sister Tabitha, who is on loan from Wuhan at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Temwa has beaten 2023 African Player of the Year, Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, who scored 22 goals playing for Barcelona FC in Spain and is number 14.
Six of the IFFHS top 10 scorer ranking are from Mexico’s Liga MX and 8 in the top 15 with Kirsty Howat is the best European player and Romana Nunez the best South American goal scorer in 2023.
Second-placed Alicia Cervantes is the most regular goal scorer in the decade (ranked 2 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 2 in 2023) before Tessa Wullaert (ranked 6 in 2021, 10 in 2022 and 10 in 2023).
All goals scored in the top 40 national leagues worldwide are taken into account — the period from January 1 to December 31 and tie-breaking criteria at equal number of goals is through strength of the league.
It has been a very satisfying 2023 for the Chawingas, who capped it up by winning for Malawi the first international title, the Confederation of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA) Championship.
Tabitha didn’t participate at the Championship as she remained in France to honour her team’s assignments that included the UEFA Women’s Champions League and Temwa was the stand-in captain for the Scorchers.
Temwa was a revelation at the COSAFA Championship in South Africa where she was voted Player of the Tournament and won the Golden Boot as well as two Player of the Match accolades.
Before moving to France, Tabitha was loaned out to Inter Milan in Italy where she won the Serie A Femminile’s Golden Boot with an outstanding 20 goals combined to earn IFFHS’ rank of 18.
For her exploits in Italy, Tabitha was named Italy women’s league Player of the Year — a prestigious award from Italian Footballers’ Association — and was also chosen as the Italian league’s Best XI.
Despite not earning enough votes for the best three nominees of the women’s African Player of the Year award, Tabitha was named in Best Africa XI by FIFPRO Africa.
She was selected alongside Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, who has won the African Player of the Year award for the record sixth time as forwards along with Zambian Barbara Banda.
Barbara, who plays for Shanghai Shengli in China was also in the top three of the nominees for the women’s African Player of Year alongside Oshoala and South African Thembi Kgatlana (Racing Louisville, USA).
South Africa contributed 5 players in the African XI — goalkeeper Andile Dlamini (Mamelodi Sundowns), two defenders, Bambani Mbane (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lebohang Ramalepe (FC Dinamo Minsk) and two midfielders Linda Matlhalo (Glasgow City) & Refiloe Jane (Sassuolo).
There were three Nigerians in the squad of forward Oshoala (Barcelona), defenders Michielle Aloize (Houston Dash) and Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alavés (Gloriosas) while Morocco has contributed midfielder Fatima Tagnaout (ASFAR).
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