The Malawi Football Team’s captain, Tabitha Chawinga, has said it is concerning that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Chawinga said postponing the tournament 12 days to kick off has had an impact on countries across the continent, as most of them were in camp preparing for WAFCON.

Malawi has been in camp since after the Cosafa games in Polokwane, South Africa. Ghana and other nations have been in the United Arab Emirates, while Kenya has been in France for international preparations ahead of the Wafcon.

According to Chawinga, this is a huge concern: “I know that this has affected all countries in Africa; I mean those that take part in the WAFCON. As you know, Malawi has been in camp, and we participated in Cosafa as our preparation for Wafcon.

“This will surely affect us, but I know the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) will give us friendlies,” she said.

Good for Temwa to recover – Chawinga

Asked if she feels the women’s game is being disrespected, Chawinga said she cannot comment much on it. “But this usually happens to our women’s football, but I cannot comment on it because I do not know what really happened for CAF to postpone the games. I hear that stadiums are not fit, so I may not comment on it, but it’s a concern that games have been postponed,” she said.

However, Chawinga said the postponement will, in other ways, help her younger sister, Temwa, to fully recover ahead of the games.

“Of course it’s a blessing to us because this means that Temwa will be fully fit to compete, and also we will finish our games here and join camp for WAFCON,” she said.

On Thursday, CAF announced that the 2026 Wafcon games have been postponed from March 17. The statement said the tournament will now be held from 25 July to 16 August 2026 to ensure the success of the competition.

READ ALSO: Why CAF Postponed 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON)