Temwa Chawinga Nominated for Third Straight NWSL MVP Award

Kansas City Current forward and Malawi international Temwa Chawinga has been nominated for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Most Valuable Player award for a third consecutive season.

Chawinga won the award in 2024 and 2025 and also took the Golden Boot in both years, scoring 20 goals in 2024 and 15 in 2025.

This season she has scored 12 goals and provided two assists, despite missing time through injury and while playing for Malawi at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco.

Her season included a hat-trick against Chicago Stars FC on May 10, the first by a Kansas City Current player.

She returned from injury in late April, having been hurt in October, and missed six matches in July and August while with Malawi.

She faces four other nominees, including Ashley Sanchez of North Carolina Courage, who leads the Golden Boot race with 20 goals.

Chawinga has also been shortlisted for the 2026 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award, alongside Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw.

She and her sister, Tabitha Chawinga, have both been nominated for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Women’s Player of the Year award. She finished 10th in the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or rankings.