{"id":374543,"date":"2026-08-12T11:22:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/374543\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:22:14","slug":"algeria-vs-malawi-a-rare-opportunity-to-write-more-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/374543\/","title":{"rendered":"Algeria vs Malawi: A rare opportunity to write more history"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n Published:
\n Wednesday, 12 August 2026 \n <\/p>\n

The two teams, competing in the first semifinal of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time, will meet on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat to battle for a place in the coveted final and a new chapter in their history.<\/p>\n

Already qualified for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil, Malawi and Algeria now want to go as far as possible, a journey that has exceeded all expectations already.<\/p>\n

There is no previous performance to refer to, no old habits to revive. Malawi and Algeria are preparing to play their first-ever WAFCON semifinal. In Rabat, one of the two teams will reach their first continental final.<\/p>\n

An unprecedented scenario for the two teams that have already made their mark at this 2026 edition by securing their place at the World Cup next year. Malawi have also reached a new level throughout the tournament in their debut appearance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Scorchers eliminated perennial title contenders Ghana in the quarterfinals 2-1 and confirmed that they are no longer just a team capable of causing an upset. Their run has largely been driven by the impact of the Chawinga sisters, but head coach Lovemore Fazili refuses to reduce his team to just his two forwards.<\/p>\n

“The Chawinga Sisters will be completely marked, but you’ll also have things to say to the other players,” he warned in a press conference. The Malawians have stopped looking at theirjourney with awe and bewilderment.<\/p>\n

Qualifying for the semifinals has sparked immense enthusiasm in the country, as has securing their historic ticket to the World Cup. The messages received from Malawi are now fueling the team’s ambition. “The messages encourage us and motivate us to continue,” explained Fazili, determined to extend their run.<\/p>\n

His counterpart on the other end Algerian head coach Farid Benstiti; “Malawi deserved their place.” Meanwhile, Algeria is approaching the tournament with the same conviction, but a different profile. After eliminating C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire in the quarterfinals 2-1, the Fennecs built their run on collective strength and consistent progress.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Benstiti, however, refuses to look beyond the next hurdle. “There’s still this semifinal and this step to climb before thinking about anything else,” insisted the Algerian coach. A feigned caution, because the idea of \u200b\u200ba final is obviously present.<\/p>\n

Benstiti admits it: “In a little corner of my mind, yes, I’m thinking about the final.”<\/p>\n

But before getting closer to it, Algeria will have to contain a Malawian attack that has already wreaked havoc in this WAFCON. The Algerian coach also believes that Malawi fully deserved their place in the semifinals.<\/p>\n

The Chawinga duo will be one of the keys to this semifinal. Tabitha and Temwa have largely contributed to making Malawi one of the tournament’s most exciting teams.<\/p>\n

But Algeria do not intend to fall into the trap of focusing their marking exclusively on the two sisters. In\u00e8s Belloumou reiterated that; “We’re not just working on them, but on the team.”<\/p>\n

Two teams behind two attacks<\/p>\n

This is probably where one of the keys to the match lies. Both teams know that their attacking players cannot exist without the work of the rest of the squad.<\/p>\n

Benstiti has emphasized this collective dimension since the start of the competition: “Algeria is a team.” For him, individual performances are simply the result of collective work. The same logic applies to Malawi.<\/p>\n

Fazili wants to remind everyone that behind the Chawinga sisters is a whole team, ready to respond when the two stars are marked tightly. The coach assures that he has players capable of taking over and turning the tide of a match where the two strikers will be closely guarded.<\/p>\n

Algeria will also be able to count on the emergence of M\u00e9lissa Bethi, whose progress and ability to assume responsibilities despite her young age, have been highlighted by Benstiti. The coach believes the midfielder still has significant room for improvement and could, if she continues on this trajectory, become one of the best players in the world.<\/p>\n

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A Semifinal Without Insecurities<\/p>\n

The recent history of both teams also gives this match a special dimension. Malawi and Algeria have never reached this stage of the competition. Neither side can, therefore, rely on the experience of a previous semifinal. But neither seems willing to use it as an excuse.<\/p>\n

The Malawians emphasize their enthusiasm and their determination to fight to the very end. Algeria, for their part, are progressing with confidence built match after match.<\/p>\n

Belloumou sums up the mindset of the Fennecs; “We took it one match at a time, and it worked.” The defender also emphasized the group’s cohesion, solidarity and a lack of selfishness in their efforts.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, there will be no more room for surprises. Nor will they be considered underdogs nor outsiders. Malawi and Algeria earned their places among the top four teams on the continent. They have already obtained their reward with a historic qualification for the World Cup. But 90 minutes, or more, before a final, the appetite has changed.<\/p>\n

The Stat of the Day<\/p>\n

Malawi are the first WAFCON debutants since Zimbabwe in 2000 to reach the semifinals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: Wednesday, 12 August 2026 The two teams, competing in the first semifinal of the TotalEnergies CAF…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374544,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[6],"tags":[390],"class_list":["post-374543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-algeria","tag-algeria"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@africa\/117082282465255629","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}