It’s been the summer of Temwa Chawinga at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The two-time NWSL MVP and Kansas City Current star helped lead her home country of Malawi, alongside her older sister Tabitha, to their first WAFCON final set for Sunday, Aug. 16 against Cameroon.
Malawi entered the tournament as a first-time qualifier, and they will leave with an automatic bid for next year’s Women’s FIFA World Cup for the first time in the country’s history. Malawi took down powerhouse Nigeria in the group stage, then Ghana in the quarterfinals and Algeria in the semifinals. The Chawinga sisters have accounted for nine of Malawi’s 12 goals so far in the tournament, and Temwa is the favorite to win the Golden Boot for the tournament.
Even though Chawinga’s an ocean away from her teammates on the Current, that hasn’t stopped her squad from supporting her every step of the way. Chawinga’s teammates make sure to tune in to her matches when they can, or at least check out her highlights after a match.
Rookie Amelia White hasn’t played alongside Chawinga for very long, but the veteran’s already made a major impact on her, especially since she’s been able to watch Chawinga’s star power on the pitch at WAFCON.
“It’s so exciting,” White told reporters on Thursday. “We were on FaceTime with her yesterday actually before the [semifinal] game. Just to see the smile on her face [and] going into the game having goals of her own. Just being able to watch that as a teammate is so encouraging and so exciting for her. As much as she’s doing great over there, just excited to have her back soon and celebrate with her.”
Although Chawinga’s playing with a different kit on her back right now, the fiery and impressive player her Current teammates are used to seeing on the pitch is still coming out during WAFCON.
“It’s good to see her still applying like the crazy goals and truly just different levels and abilities that she has. Representing her country on that stage has been incredible,” forward Haley Hopkins shared on July 29. “I know our entire team is behind her and is just absolutely over the moon for her. She’s smiling, she’s dancing, it’s been really great to see that side of Temwa come out. We’re excited to have her back, but she’s doing incredible things for her country right now.”
Along with what Hopkins said, Kansas City coach Chris Armas emphasized how significant Chawinga’s performance is to help Malawi be recognized across the globe. Not only are soccer fans possibly being introduced to Chawinga’s talents for the first time (or maybe they witnessed her awesome goal in the first episode of Ted Lasso season four), but they are also learning more about Malawi’s historical run.
“We’re on the ride and the journey with her,” Armas told reporters on Wednesday. “Watching what she’s doing over there is incredible, inspiring a nation, making a historic little run here. It gets Malawi and helps get Malawi into the World Cup, so then on the global stage, not only her, but her teammates and the whole country can get recognized for being an amazing team. She’s a big part of that. We’re really proud to be on the journey with her.”
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Since being hired as the Current’s head coach in December, Armas has gotten to learn Chawinga’s spirit and persistence on and off the pitch. Watching her thrive while playing for Malawi isn’t a surprise to Armas or anyone who plays with Chawinga—she is just that good.
“Temwa, when you talk about what she means to Malawi, what she means to our team, our city, what she means to the NWSL, I think it’s priceless,” Armas said. “It’s not always so common that you come across people like her and players like her. She’s one of the best players in the world. So impactful, a player that our sport should celebrate, women’s football should celebrate, our league should celebrate, [one] we celebrate here in Kansas City. An attacker that scores goals, that I think most people wouldn’t mind paying to see her play.”
Armas and the rest of the Current squad definitely miss having their star forward on the pitch since her playing at WAFCON forces her to miss some time at the NWSL level. She last played for the Current on July 17 against the San Diego Wave and scored her ninth goal of the 2026 season in the 2–2 draw. Even with missing some time, Chawinga ranks fourth in the league in goals this season. Kansas City has posted a 1–2–2 record in her absence.
The Current and the team’s fanbase will continue supporting Chawinga through the end of the WAFCON tournament as CPKC Stadium plans to host a watch party on Sunday to watch Chawinga and the rest of Malawi in the final against Cameroon.
Chawinga’s return date with the Current is still to be determined. Kansas City’s upcoming fixtures are set for Saturday, Aug. 22 against Seattle Reign FC, followed by a match on Saturday, Aug. 29 against the North Carolina Courage. Both of these matches will be played in Kansas City, giving Chawinga’s NWSL home crowd a chance to celebrate her accomplishments in Africa this summer, win or lose in the final.
“We’re fortunate to be working with Temwa all the time, and we get to see it up close on an everyday basis all that goes into how she carries herself on and off the pitch,” Armas said. “It’s something to be celebrating and to be really grateful for someone like Temwa.”
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