The Malawi women’s football team will receive a military parade upon landing home from Morocco, where they lost the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title to Cameroon on Sunday.
Malawi’s Nyasa Times reported on Monday that the country’s sports ministry had confirmed that the heroic team will receive a military parade on their arrival in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital.
The football team, nicknamed the Scorchers, had featured in the WAFCON tournament for the first time in the nation’s history, and went all the way to the final, where they succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against a continentally-experienced Cameroonian side.
“You made us proud. We are extremely proud of you, our Scorchers,” Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Malawi secure World Cup spot
On their way to the 2026 WAFCON final, the Scorchers beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-final and also defeated Algeria 3-1 in the semi-final.
Malawi’s WAFCON performance has guaranteed them a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Brazil from June 24 to July 25.
The Scorchers are scheduled to arrive in Lilongwe on Wednesday.
Their arrival ceremony is being organised by Malawi’s police service, the military, and other state agencies, Nyasa Times reported.
‘Proper’ welcoming ceremony
The news outlet said the planned military parade will “form the centrepiece of what promises to be an unforgettable day for the nation.”
“They have managed to qualify for the Women‘s World Cup and managed to come second in the WAFCON, so they deserve to be welcomed properly,” Sports ministry public relations officer Mwale Macmillan Mwale said on Monday.
Meanwhile, the 2026 WAFCON champions Cameroon, who have also qualified for the Women’s World Cup in Brazil, arrived home to a hero’s welcome on Monday.
Thousands of Cameroonians gathered in the nation’s capital Yaounde to celebrate the team’s victory. En route to the final, Cameroon, nicknamed the Indomitable Lionesses, beat ten-time WAFCON record holders Nigeria 1-0 in the quarterfinal and then defeated the hosts Morocco 3-1 in a semi-final penalty shootout after a scoreless draw in extra-time.
President Biya congratulates Cameroon women’s team
Historically, Cameroon are a significant side in WAFCON. They have made 13 appearances in the competition, finishing thrice as runners-up – in 2004, 2014, and 2016. In all those finals, they lost to Nigeria.
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who is currently in Switzerland, congratulated the “valiant, talented and intrepid Indomitable Lionesses” in a post on Facebook late on Sunday, hailing the trophy won at the end of a “well-executed performance.”
