The Malawi National Women’s Football Team, the Scorchers, will be looking for a winning start to their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifying campaign when they host Zimbabwe at Bingu National Stadium on Friday.
A victory in the first-leg encounter would put the Scorchers in a strong position ahead of the return match in Zimbabwe on Tuesday. The two sides last met during the 2025 Three Nations Tournament at Bingu National Stadium, where Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors defeated the Scorchers 2-1.
Malawi head into the encounter with renewed confidence following their impressive performance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where they finished as runners-up and secured historic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Scorchers last participated in the Olympic qualifiers in 2019, when they defeated Mozambique 14-1 on aggregate in the first round before losing 5-3 on aggregate to Kenya in the second round. Head coach Lovemore Fazili believes his charges are ready for Friday’s encounter but has warned against underrating Zimbabwe.
“It’s going to be a tough game. We are not underrating Zimbabwe because they are one of the strongest teams when we talk about women’s football,” said Fazili. “But on our side, I think we are ready for tomorrow’s game. All we need is to perform well and win the match.”
Fazili has also urged his players to shift their focus from their historic WAFCON campaign and concentrate on the challenge ahead. “First of all, we don’t want the players to dwell on our WAFCON performance. This is a totally different tournament, and they are aware of the importance of tomorrow’s game,” he said.
“We need to go out there and play well. At the end of the match, we want to win by a big margin because this is a home-and-away tie.”
The coach also provided an update on midfielder Faith Chinzimu, who is unavailable for the first leg, expressing hope that she will be available for the return encounter. “We are hoping Faith will be part of the team when we go to Zimbabwe,” said Fazili.
The Scorchers will travel to Zimbabwe for the second leg on Tuesday, with the winner of the two-legged tie progressing to the next round to face either Kenya or Seychelles.
