By Edwin Mbewe
RABAT-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s First Lady, Gertrude Mutharika, has saluted the Scorchers for a breathtaking Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign that saw the team defy expectations, rewrite history and capture the hearts of more than 22 million Malawians.
The Scorchers’ dream run ended in heartbreak on Sunday night in Rabat, Morocco, after they fell 3-0 to Cameroon in the WAFCON final. But for a team that arrived as tournament debutants, the journey itself was nothing short of extraordinary.
“Tough luck tonight, but what a journey! We came, we saw, and we conquered!” Mutharika wrote in a message posted on her Facebook page.
She described the Scorchers as a team that had “set the African continent ablaze” at a time when few expected them to go this far.
“Making it to the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final was a dream, one that has redefined our vision for football in Malawi. Being your number one fan makes me endlessly proud,” she said.
The First Lady said the players had stepped onto the pitch carrying the hopes and dreams of an entire nation, fighting for the millions of Malawians who had rallied behind them throughout their historic campaign.
And what a journey it was.
Arriving at the tournament as debutants, the Scorchers silenced doubters by progressing from the group stages into the quarterfinals.
They then continued their giant-killing march into the semifinals before producing another stunning performance to eliminate Ghana’s Black Queens and book their place in the final.
For a team that many had not expected to survive the group stage, the Scorchers suddenly found themselves one game away from becoming African champions.
The final against Cameroon may have ended in disappointment, but the Scorchers leave Morocco with their heads held high and their names firmly etched in Malawian football history.
Their historic WAFCON run has also delivered another monumental achievement: qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, marking the first time Malawi’s women’s national team will compete at football’s biggest global tournament.
The trophy may have slipped away in Rabat, but the Scorchers will return home as trailblazers.
They did not just play at WAFCON—they announced themselves.
And as Mutharika put it, the Scorchers came, they saw, and they conquered.
