Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga clash for Zambia vs Malawi at the 2026 WAFCON group stage; knockout spot at stake

Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga face off in a blockbuster striker showdown at 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations

Find out how these two prolific strikers measure up against one another as Zambia prepare to face debutants Malawi with a place in the knockout stages at stake.

For both Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga , the stakes have never been higher. With a place in the knockout stages of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on the line, these two prolific strikers will need to be at their footballing best.

Representing second-time participants Zambia and debutants Malawi respectively, it is all to play for in their final group game of the competition on Wednesday (5 August). The latter currently have two wins from two, registering an emphatic win over ten-time title winners Nigeria. The former, meanwhile, lost to the Super Falcons but have three points on the board courtesy of a 6-0 win over Egypt.

Both players are in fine form coming into this contest, leading the way at the top of the Golden Boot standings. Banda is narrowly edging it after bagging four in Zambia’s opening win, while Chawinga has scored in both games Malawi has played.

It is not surprising to see them go head-to-head like this, with each forward making a name for themselves since moving to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in 2024, quickly rising through the ranks as two of the best in the game.

Ahead of their latest meeting, this time for their nations, Olympics.com takes a look at how these two strikers have fared both solo and against one another.

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Barbra Banda vs Temwa Chawinga: Rivals on the pitch, friends off it

As far as consistency goes, Banda is one of the best in the business. She has played 57 games since joining Orlando Pride and has scored 37 goals across that timeframe. Her first season in the States was her best on record, bagging 17 times and providing 17 assists.

She played fewer games the following season and output dropped, but this term she is well and truly back on track. 12 goals and one assist before WAFCON, she landed in Morocco and immediately hit the ground running with a further five goal involvements.

Chawinga mirrors that raw goal-scoring ability, with 48 goals in 64 appearances for Kansas City Current since joining in 2024. In doing so, records followed. In her debut campaign in the NWSL, she scored 24 times, setting a record for the most goals scored in a single season. She also earned another record, scoring in eight consecutive regular season games – something never done before in the league.

To cap that season, Chawinga was awarded the Golden Boot and voted the league’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ for her efforts. While her scoring tally dropped slightly in the 2025 season, she still retained the top scorer award.

Fresh from a contract extension, she is now just three strikes behind Banda in the 2026 Golden Boot race, having scored nine times herself and provided two assists.

It is clear that, now that they are in the same league, these two players relish going up against one another. But while they are competitors on the pitch, both Banda and Chawinga are friends off it. With the growing cohort of African players excelling in the NWSL, the support unit they have has been equally important.

“We are coming from Africa and we support each other because we are all putting our countries on the map,” Temwa told Olympics.com in a previous interview .

“People are starting to know our countries because of us. We are very happy to be here in the USA.”

For 90 minutes on Wednesday, they will set that friendship aside in pursuit of progress to the quarter-finals of the 2026 WAFCON. The aim, however, remains shared: to show the world just how much talent hails from their continent.

Barbra Banda vs Temwa Chawinga: Head-to-head

For these two nations, it is an international rivalry that dates back to 2002, one which Zambia enjoyed the fruits of for the first decade of competition. They were significantly ahead of Malawi in their development, registering some thumping wins with seven or eight goals bagged in a single outing.

Entering the 2010s, the tide began to change. Encounters between the two sides became far more balanced. They remain exciting on the goal front, but there is no longer a sole favourite heading into a game.

Here is how their record stands ahead of Wednesday’s clash:

Barbra Banda vs Temwa Chawinga in the NWSL

Domestically, Banda and Chawinga both made the switch to the NWSL in 2024. Since then, they have come face-to-face six times. Banda edges the rivalry in the league, on the winning end of three of those meetings while Chawinga has won just once.

Banda has found the back of the net on three different occasions and Chawinga twice, with goals in these encounters hard to come by. Here is how their club head-to-head looks:

6 July: Kansas City Current 1-2 Orlando Pride (Banda and Chawinga scored)

13 September: Orlando Pride 0-0 Kansas City Current

17 November, play-offs: Orlando Pride 3-2 Kansas City Current (Banda scored)

16 May: Orlando Pride 0-1 Kansas City Current (Chawinga scored)

16 August: Kansas City Current 0-0 Orlando Pride

10 July: Kansas City Current 0-3 Orlando Pride (Banda scored)

Barbra Banda vs Temwa Chawinga at WAFCON 2026: Schedule and how to watch

2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations – Group Stage

5 August: Malawi vs Zambia (21:00 local) – Al Medina Stadium, Rabat

Coverage of the tournament will be provided exclusively by CAF TV for an extensive range of countries. A full breakdown of the broadcasters can be found here .

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Barbra BANDA ZAM · Football Malawi

Picture by (L): Phil Walter via Getty Images. (R): Tim Nwachukwu via Getty Images.

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