The Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, are set to face Angola in the second round of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers this October.

Angola secured their place after a 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Zimbabwe, following a 3-3 aggregate score. Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors won 2-1 at Lucas Moripe Stadium in South Africa on Wednesday, but the result was not enough to overturn Angola’s first-leg victory by the same margin.

Speaking ahead of the crucial fixture, Scorchers head coach Lovemore Fazili expressed confidence in his team’s ability to deliver, citing their recent friendly matches against Zambia’s Copper Queens as a key learning experience.

“We have had a good test against a strong Zambian side, and we are confident that our team will rise to the occasion against Angola,” said Fazili. Despite losing 2-0 in the first match against Zambia, the Scorchers bounced back to win 3-2 in the second, showing resilience and tactical improvement.

The Malawi vs. Angola fixture is a two-legged second-round qualifier, with the winner securing automatic qualification for next year’s WAFCON finals in Morocco. This presents a golden opportunity for the Scorchers to make history and earn a place among Africa’s top women’s football teams.