CAN Women 2026: Malawi eliminates Algeria and qualifies for the final.

This semi-final was a first for both teams, which had never before reached the last four of the Women’s AFCON. Algeria had achieved its best performance in the 2024 edition, reaching the quarter-finals.

The Algerian team was quickly put under pressure by the Malawian attack, despite lacking ball control. Goalkeeper Chloé N’Gazi intervened twice in the 15th minute, notably on a powerful shot from Temwa Chawinga.

The situation worsened for Algeria in the 21st minute. After consulting the video assistant referee, Morgane Belkhiter was sent off for a foul on Tabitha Chawinga. The Fennecs then played with one less player for a large part of the first half.

Tabitha Chawinga makes the difference

Malawi opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Tabitha Chawinga. The forward acrobatically struck the ball. After hitting the crossbar, the ball bounced in front of the line before entering the goal.

The Malawians doubled their lead in stoppage time of the first half. Temwa Chawinga scored the second goal in the 45th +1 minute, placing her team in a favorable position before the break.

The second half began with ten players against ten. Malawi also lost a player, as Rose Kadzere was sent off after another VAR review for a dangerous tackle on Dafeur in the 45th +8 minute.

Algeria reignited the match in the 59th minute. From a free kick by Marine Dafeur, Ikram Adjabi controlled the ball before shooting to the far post to reduce the deficit.

But Tabitha Chawinga definitively pushed back the Algerian threat in the 76th minute. Launched down the middle, she penetrated the defense before beating Chloé N’Gazi and scoring her second goal of the match.

With this victory, Malawi qualifies for the Women’s AFCON final in its very first participation. Algeria, for its part, will play the third-place match on Saturday, August 15, against the team defeated in the other semi-final.