By Edwin Mbewe
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s football sensation Temwa Chawinga has been nominated for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or, recognition that caps a remarkable year in which the Scorchers forward has established herself among the most decisive players in world women’s football.
For Chawinga, however, the nomination should be more than an achievement to celebrate. It should be the beginning of a serious campaign for the biggest individual prize in the game.
She should win it.
Chawinga’s case is built on the one thing that ultimately separates great players from the rest; the ability to change matches, tournaments and the fortunes of an entire nation.
At the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, Chawinga finished as the tournament’s Golden Boot winner with five goals and two assists, sharing the scoring lead but having the additional advantage of her creative contribution. Her goals helped Malawi reach the final in their first appearance at the continental championship.
The Scorchers’ historic run also secured Malawi’s first-ever qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, turning what was already an extraordinary tournament into a defining moment in the country’s football history.
A Golden Boot winner on Africa’s biggest stage
Chawinga’s five goals placed her at the top of the WAFCON scoring chart alongside Zambia’s Barbra Banda and other leading African forwards. But the numbers do not tell the whole story.
Her five goals and two assists gave her seven direct goal contributions during Malawi’s historic campaign.
She was not simply scoring goals; she was carrying an enormous attacking responsibility for a team making its WAFCON debut.
Together with her sister Tabitha Chawinga, Temwa formed one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking partnerships. The Chawinga sisters finished the competition with nine goals between them, accounting for a huge portion of Malawi’s attacking output.
And Malawi’s journey to the final was anything but ordinary. The Scorchers stunned defending champions Nigeria in the group stage and continued their historic run all the way to the championship match.
Her club record is equally impressive
If the Ballon d’Or is supposed to recognise the world’s best player over the course of a season, Chawinga’s club achievements cannot be ignored.
The Kansas City Current forward entered 2026 after winning the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP award in both 2024 and 2025. She scored 20 goals in 2024 and followed that with 15 goals in 2025, becoming only the second player in NWSL history to win the Golden Boot multiple times. She also became the first player to win the NWSL MVP award in consecutive seasons.
By June 2026, the Kansas City Current reported that Chawinga had already scored 42 regular-season NWSL goals and provided 11 assists in 56 appearances.
Even more remarkable, she had scored in 36 of those 56 matches — 64.3 percent of her appearances — the highest such rate in NWSL history among players with at least 20 appearances, according to the Current.
Those are not ordinary numbers.
They are the statistics of a player who consistently decides football matches.
From Malawi to the world
Chawinga’s Ballon d’Or candidacy is also significant because of what she represents.
She is not coming from one of the traditional powerhouses of women’s football. She is a Malawian forward who has become one of the most recognisable attacking stars in the NWSL while simultaneously helping transform the fortunes of her national team.
Her story gives the award a wider meaning.
A Ballon d’Or victory for Chawinga would not only recognise her goals. It would celebrate the growth of women’s football in Malawi, the rise of African women’s football and the ability of talent from outside the traditional football centres to reach the very top of the global game.
Why Chawinga should win
The Ballon d’Or is not simply a competition to see who scored the most goals.
It is about individual brilliance, influence, consistency and impact on the biggest stages.
Chawinga has all four.
She has dominated the NWSL, winning consecutive MVP and Golden Boot awards. She has produced extraordinary scoring numbers. She has become a decisive player for Kansas City Current. And when Malawi needed a superstar on the African stage, she delivered.
Her 2026 WAFCON campaign alone produced five goals and two assists, while her performances helped Malawi reach an unprecedented final and qualify for their first Women’s World Cup.
That is the definition of influence.
There may be players with bigger club trophies or more celebrated European careers. There may be players from footballing nations with greater resources and deeper squads.
But Chawinga’s case is different.
She did not simply play for a team that was expected to succeed. She helped make her team successful.
She did not inherit Malawi’s historic moment.
She helped create it.
And that is why, when the votes are counted, Temwa Chawinga should not be viewed merely as a nominee.
She should be viewed as a genuine contender — and ultimately, as the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or winner.
For Malawi, for African football and for one of the most explosive forwards in the women’s game, the time has come.
Temwa Chawinga deserves the Golden Ball.
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