"My sister went and said, 'No. I'll put my money, I'll book the air ticket, visa, whatever. But when you see that she's good, you'll give me back the money.'" That gamble — Tabitha backing Temwa with her own cash to get her into Swedish football — is now the origin story of the most important partnership in African women's football.
Both sisters were on the scoresheet again in Malawi's 3-1 semi-final win over Algeria. Tabitha opened it in the 33rd minute with a spectacular finish, Temwa doubled the lead before half-time by rounding the keeper and rolling into an empty net, and when Algeria clawed one back, Tabitha killed the game off in the 76th. All three Malawi goals. Just the two sisters. Against a nation of 45 million people.
What they've built at club level
This isn't sentiment — it's pedigree showing up when it matters. Temwa won the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP with Kansas City Current. Tabitha became the first African top scorer in Serie A during her time at Inter Milan, then moved to Lyon. These are not peripheral players who shine only in lesser competitions. They are elite forwards operating at the top of women's club football, and they've brought every bit of that quality to Malawi's debut WAFCON campaign.
The Scorchers beat defending champions Nigeria 3-2 to open the tournament. Then Egypt 3-1. Then came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-final — a result that also booked them a place at the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in their history. Now a WAFCON final against Cameroon.
Their journey from Rumphi in northern Malawi, where they grew up playing alongside boys, to DD Sunshine in Lilongwe, to Europe and North America, to the final of Africa's biggest women's tournament — it's a story that didn't need a Hollywood scriptwriter. It just needed Tabitha to believe in her younger sister enough to front the cash.
What this means heading into the final
Cameroon will know exactly what's coming. The Chawinga sisters have been the most consistent attacking partnership at this tournament, and there's nothing in the data to suggest either of them slows down in finals. Any market pricing Malawi as heavy underdogs deserves scrutiny — this squad has beaten Nigeria, Ghana, and Algeria en route to the final. That's not a lucky run. That's a team that keeps winning the games it isn't supposed to.
Tabitha scored twice against Algeria. Temwa has the finishing instincts of someone who's won individual awards in the world's most competitive women's league. If one of them has an off night, the other has already proven she can carry the load.
"She opened the door for me," Temwa said of her sister. On current form, they're both walking through it together.
