By Watipaso Mzungu
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-First Lady Gertrude Mutharika has rallied Malawians — and the entire African continent — to vote for Temwa Chawinga after the Malawi star was shortlisted among the top five for the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award for 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the First Lady described Chawinga’s nomination as a historic moment for Malawi and Africa, and urged every Malawian to cast a vote before voting closes.
“Our star girl Temwa Chawinga is at it again. She has been shortlisted among the top five for the prestigious BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award for 2026. I therefore call upon each one of us to vote for her. Voting is now open and will run until 18 November.”
Chawinga, 28, who plays for Kansas City Current in the United States, is the first Malawian footballer ever to be shortlisted for the award.
She is also the only African on the five-player shortlist, which includes Poland’s Ewa Pajor of Barcelona, Spain’s Alexia Putellas of London City Lionesses, England’s Alessia Russo of Arsenal, and Jamaica’s Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw of Manchester City. 696c
The First Lady said that achievement alone has already made Malawi and Africa proud: “By making it into the top five, Temwa has not only broken the national record by becoming the first Malawian footballer to be shortlisted, but she has also made the entire African continent proud, as she is the only African shortlisted in the top five. “This is not just about Malawi, but about Africa as a continent.”
“Let us all unite and cast our vote for Temwa to bring the award home. This is for Malawi. This is for Africa. We can do it, so let’s do it.”
Chawinga’s nomination caps a remarkable year that has put Malawi on the world football map.
She scored 15 goals in the 2025 season as she became the first player to be named NWSL MVP in back-to-back campaigns, and also won the Golden Boot for a second straight year.
With Malawi, she helped the Scorchers reach their first-ever Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final and secure qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time. She won the tournament’s Golden Boot with five goals, scoring against Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana and Algeria.
She also finished 10th in the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or rankings, underlining her status among the world’s elite.
Voting for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2026 is free and open globally on http://bbc.com/womensfootball. The vote will close at 09:00 GMT on Wednesday, 18 November — 11:00 in Malawi.
The award, now in its 12th year, is decided through a global public vote from a shortlist selected by an expert panel of coaches, journalists and former professionals. It covers performances between September 2025 and August 2026.
For the first time in the award’s history, the winner will be announced on Sunday, 13 December during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, and simultaneously on BBC World Service’s Sportsworld programme.
Vote here: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cj20velkgnypo
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