Malawi head coach Maggie Chombo has confirmed a 26-player squad ahead of a two-legged 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Nigeria’s Falconets, with the first leg set for Abuja on May 2 and the return leg in Blantyre a week later.
Malawi have made their squad selection for the most significant fixture in the Scorchers’ recent U-20 women’s football calendar. Coach Maggie Chombo has retained the core of the team that eliminated Guinea-Bissau in the previous qualifying round, adding the continuity of selection to the advantage of having already been tested in competitive CAF action this cycle. Entering camp today at the Mpira Village in Blantyre, the 26-player group will spend the coming weeks preparing for what is effectively a winner-takes-all two-legged tie with Nigeria’s Falconets.
The stakes could not be higher for both sides. The aggregate winner earns a spot at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, one of the most prestigious tournaments in women’s youth football. For the Falconets, who have been in camp in Abuja since two weeks ago under coach Moses Aduku following a 3-2 aggregate win over Senegal in the third round, this is the final African qualifier barrier before Poland. For Malawi, it is the biggest tie in the programme’s recent history. Fans following the Falconets’ World Cup bid can find the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome bonus before the first leg on May 2.
Reading the Malawi Squad
Chombo’s 26-player list features three goalkeepers, ten defenders, ten midfielders and eight forwards, a balanced spread that reflects a coach keen to maintain options across all positions rather than arriving in Abuja with a rigid system. The squad is drawn predominantly from the domestic Malawian league, with clubs including Ascent Soccer Academy, Kukoma Ntopwa Women, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women, Silver Striker Ladies, Luwinga Academy and Civil Service Women contributing players. Ascent Soccer Academy are the most represented club with five players across the squad’s outfield positions. Nigeria supporters can follow the Falconets’ preparations and use the how to claim your Bet9ja bonus guide ahead of the first leg in Abuja.
Malawi earned their place in this round by defeating Guinea-Bissau, a result that demonstrated the Scorchers are capable of progressing through CAF qualifiers. The jump in quality between Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria will be significant, but Malawi have shown at senior level this year that they can score goals and create problems against most opponents. They beat Lesotho 8-1 in February, which shows the attacking capability available to Chombo, though Nigeria will be a very different proposition. Nigerian football fans can get the full Falconets squad and match updates at FootballInNigeria.com.ng, and new Bet9ja users can access the Nigeria’s top Bet9ja code before registering.
What Nigeria Need to Deliver
The Falconets go into the tie as strong favourites, but Moses Aduku’s side will know that complacency in either leg could prove costly given the format. A strong first leg result in Abuja, where home support will be an advantage, sets up the return match in Blantyre with more security. Both legs will be closely watched as Nigeria continues to build its pipeline of talent for the senior Super Falcons setup, with WAFCON 2026 also on the horizon for the senior women’s team.
Malawi Full Squad
Goalkeepers: Ireen Sibande (Silver Striker), Emily Nkhwazi (Kukoma Ntopwa), Fortune Bwitubwitu (Ekhaya FC)
Defenders: Maureen Keneth, Talandira Chinyamvula, Victoria Mkwala (all Ascent), Olivia Phikani, Kondawo Banda (Kukoma Ntopwa), Emily Samuel, Alinafe Milanzie (Civil Service), Judith Kam’bwemba (Chitoliro Heroines), Efa Msuka (Nyasa Big Bullets)
Midfielders: Leticia Chinyamula (Ascent), Sarah Mulimbika (Green Buffaloes), Anna Baziliyo, Linda Manda (Civil Service/Silver Striker), Carlo Mlenzo (Nyasa Big Bullets), Fanny Moyo (Mighty Wanderers Queens), Enelesi Fabiano (Mzuzu City Hammers), Fatima Lali (Ascent)
Forwards: Mary Chindeya (Kukoma Ntopwa), Grace Mkakangula (Silver Striker), Mayamiko Mkandawire (Ascent), Vanessa Issa (Nyasa Big Bullets), Hope Chikunga (Ekhaya), Wongani Masamba, Talandila Kachala, Rebecca Banda, Chisomo Mtelela (Luwinga Academy)
📌 Did You Know?
- The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will be held in Poland, making it only the second time the European country has hosted a major FIFA women’s youth tournament, following Poland’s co-hosting of the 2012 UEFA European Championship for men.
- Nigeria’s Falconets have reached multiple U-20 Women’s World Cup finals, winning the tournament in 2010 when they beat Japan in the final in Germany, and reaching the final again in 2014 where they lost to Germany.
- FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women, one of the clubs represented in Malawi’s squad, is the women’s affiliate of Nyasa Big Bullets, one of Malawi’s oldest and most supported men’s clubs, reflecting the growing investment in women’s football infrastructure in the country.
- Moses Aduku, the Falconets head coach, came through the Nigerian women’s football development structure and has overseen several successive qualifying campaigns, with the 3-2 aggregate win over Senegal being one of the more testing results of the current cycle.
- The two-legged qualifying format used in the final African round for the U-20 Women’s World Cup places significant emphasis on performance across both legs, meaning a single strong home performance cannot guarantee qualification without a credible away display as well.
- Malawi’s women’s football programme has grown significantly since the Copper Queens of Zambia’s breakthrough success at the senior WAFCON in 2022, which inspired investment in women’s football infrastructure across southern African nations including Malawi.
- Ascent Soccer Academy, the most represented club in Malawi’s squad, is one of the country’s more recently established football academies focused on producing technically developed female players for the national programme.
