Temwa says Scorchers will not be mere participants at World Cup

US-based Scorchers vice-captain Temwa Chawinga says they will not head to Brazil next year for their maiden Fifa Women’s World Cup as mere participants, but to compete.

In an interview with fifa.com, the Kansas City Current forward said she has strong belief in both the players and the technical panel.

Temwa (L) scores with a header against Egypt at the 2026 Wafcon finals. | Courtesy of Temwa Chawinga

“We have a lot of talent in Malawi,” she affirmed. “We’ll meet tough teams there, but everyone is preparing for the World Cup now and to face strong teams. We could face the USA or France—they’re big teams—but we need to go there to compete. I believe in the team. I believe in the coaches.”

However, the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominee said preparations will be crucial to improve the team’s performance.

“I think playing international friendlies against strong teams could help us a lot,” she was quoted as saying.

Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya has since said there are plans to secure international friendlies for the Scorchers against high-profile teams.

“We are going to organise not just friendlies, but international friendlies overseas in Europe. We want to make sure that we are ready for the tournament,” he was quoted as saying by the local press.

Meanwhile, Temwa also shared her hopes for the upcoming World Cup draw scheduled for December 11 in Rio de Janeiro.

Dhe said: “I would love to meet my [Kansas City Current] teammates and swap shirts with them. I would like to be in the same group as China too, I also have friends there. If you meet your club teammates at the World Cup, it’s fun. I can’t wait to get there.

The reigning US Women’s National Soccer League Most Valuable Player and Golden Boot winner also shared memories about her maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco, especially facing the then reigning champions Nigeria in their opening group match.

“Before the game, I was scared,” Chawinga says. “Nigeria had won the Wafcon 10 times, while we hadn’t won anything. But at the end of the day, it’s football. Every player put in effort from the first to the last whistle. It was hard, but we won,” she was quoted as saying.

“After Nigeria, I started believing in myself,” she says. “If we beat Nigeria, we could do it. It’s just a tournament; every team is just the same as us. We went there to compete, not just to participate.”

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