Who are the Chawinga sisters leading Malawi's bid for Wafcon glory?

Sisters Tabitha (left) and Temwa Chawinga have taken outsiders Malawi to the brink of a first ever continental title [Backpage Pix] Malawi have been the surprise package of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), but the source of the goals which have fired the tournament debutants into Sunday's final against Cameroon (19:00 GMT) has been less of a shock. Sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are the undoubted stars of the show, scoring nine of Malawi's 12 goals - with Temwa leading the golden boot race with fives strikes alongside Zambia's Barbra Banda. And while the Scorchers are the lowest-ranked side at the finals in Morocco, at 153rd in the world, the siblings have already won silverware for some of football's biggest clubs. Who is Tabitha Chawinga? Born on 22 May 1996 in the northern district of Rumphi, Tabitha, 30, is the older sister. She began playing football as a child with boys in her village, with a ball made out of plastic or paper. "Growing up, I never saw myself as different from boys," she told the BBC. "Whatever they did I believed I could." However, her mother did not approve. "My mum beat me because she was embarrassed," Chawinga told Africa Daily in 2023. "People would provoke my mum: 'Look at your daughter - maybe she will not be married in the future. Your daughter, she doesn't want to go to school.' "Even my friends said: 'No women can play football in this world'." Tabitha persisted and her journey to international stardom began when she moved to join DD Sunshine in the capital Lilongwe. Tabitha draws strongly on her Christian faith, paying tribute to God during many of her media engagements. Where has Tabitha Chawinga played? Tabitha Chawinga scored 11 goals as Lyon reclaimed their domestic league title last season, but the French side were beaten in the final of the Women's Champions League [Getty Images] A switch to Europe came in 2014 after an American working for a non-governmental organisation had a spell at DD Sunshine before relocating to Sweden. The NGO worker joined third-tier side Krokom Dvarsatts, and DD Sunshine owner David Dube then suggested the Swedes try out Tabitha as well. "When Krokom Dvarsatts hesitated, Mr Dube offered to pay visa and flight costs for me to travel to Sweden for trials," said Tabitha. "I joined the team and they were immediately impressed with my strength, dribbling, shooting from far and scoring skills." She had to wait until after her 18th birthday to make her debut, then became the first Malawian woman to play in Europe and scored 39 times in 14 games. Tabitha continued her exploits at second-tier Kvarnsveden, netting 43 goals to help them win promotion, and was then leading scorer in the Swedish top flight in 2017. A six-year spell in China followed, which saw her win three league titles, three golden boots and two player of the season awards. A successful loan with Inter Milan in 2022-23 also saw her win the Serie A golden boot. "My goal is to achieve for African people," she said after that feat. "I need to play for the girls in Africa. They need to see there are women in this world that can play football like men." It was Paris St-Germain next for the striker, and another landmark as the first woman from Malawi to play and score in the Uefa Champions League in 2023. France's most decorated female side, Lyon, came calling and Tabitha has helped them to back-to-back domestic titles. She played in last season's Champions League final defeat by Barcelona. Who is Temwa Chawinga? Temwa Chawinga has proved to be a prolific scorer for Kansas City Current in the NWSL [Getty Images] Born on 20 September 1998, Temwa - whose name means 'love' in her native Tumbuka language - followed the path trodden by her elder sister. She acknowledges that Tabitha has been "instrumental" in her career, with the two playing together for both DD Sunshine and Kvarnsveden after Tabitha recommended that the Swedes sign her younger sister. "She made connections for me to leave Malawi to play abroad, but most importantly has always advised me to fight hard, to know what I want and to pursue it without listening to distracting people," Temwa told BBC Sport Africa. The 27-year-old impressed in Sweden, scoring 35 league goals in 2019. With agents in China asking Tabitha how to find a well-rounded player like her, the response was once again to recommend Temwa. Wuhan Jianghan pounced and the forward helped the club win four consecutive league titles - including the 2021 edition alongside her sister. Temwa Chawinga – world record goalscorer In 2023 she was the world's top goalscorer of the calendar year, outscoring the likes of Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with 51 strikes for her Chinese club and 12 for Malawi. "When I found out I was so happy. I didn't believe it, but it was so amazing," she said. Kansas City Current of America's National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) swooped and Temwa was the division's top scorer in her debut season in 2024 with 20 goals. She bagged another 15 last year as the Current ended the regular campaign with the best record in the NWSL before being beaten in the play-offs. She was named league MVP in both campaigns. Despite their roll of achievements, neither sister has yet been named as African Women's Footballer of the Year. A stunning impact for Malawi Three-time runners-up Cameroon stand in the way of the sisters and tournament debutants Malawi in Sunday's Wafcon final [Backpage Pix] Both have been prolific at international level since making their Malawi debuts in 2011 and 2016 respectively. Tabitha usually captains the Scorchers, but it was Temwa who skippered the side to their first piece of silverware, the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Associations Women's Championship title in 2023. "I was waiting to qualify for the [Women's] Africa Cup of Nations [for] a long time," Tabitha said before this tournament began. "I've been playing big games in Europe, but I tell the girls 'Don't be shy, don't be scared'." Those words proved invaluable as Malawi upset 10-time champions Nigeria in their Wafcon opener and also finished above 2022 semi-finalists Zambia in Group C. The Scorchers came from behind to beat Ghana 2-1 in the quarter-finals - sealing qualification for next year's Fifa Women's World Cup - before both sisters scored in the semi-final win over Algeria. "I'm so happy because a lot of people didn't give us a chance at this level, but we showed the world that we have a good team," Temwa said. Malawi FA boss Fleetwood Haiya says funds received from world governing body Fifa have helped stoke the success of the women's side, but both sisters have called for more investment. "If we can put money in Malawi to support girls' football I think there can be so many like me and Tabitha," Temwa said. Should Malawi become just the fourth side to win the Wafcon title, after Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, they will be indebted to two sisters from humble beginnings.