Despite suffering a 4-0 defeat to Ghana in a friendly match on Thursday night, Malawi Women’s National Team head coach Lovemore Fazili insists the scoreline is not a true reflection of his side’s performance and has urged Malawians to remain confident ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The defeat extended the Scorchers’ winless run in their WAFCON preparations. Since April 11, Malawi have played six friendly matches, recording one draw and five defeats. They lost 5-0 to Australia, 3-2 to India, 1-0 to Tanzania, drew 0-0 with Tanzania, lost 2-1 to Morocco and were beaten 4-0 by Ghana.

Their last victory came in February when they edged Angola 1-0 at the COSAFA Cup in South Africa.

Despite the disappointing results, Fazili remains upbeat and believes his team will rise to the occasion when the tournament begins.

“I am still confident that we will fight for this Wafcon, and Malawians should expect positive results,” reacted Fazili.

“It was a bad game when you compare it with the match we played against Morocco, but it all happened because we changed the team just to see other players as we prepared ahead of the Wafcon. We have learnt lessons, we have known other players, yes we have lost 4-0 but we also had our chance and we could convert them into goals. Come next we will have our first 11 which is capable of delivering,” he said.

Malawi will begin their WAFCON campaign against Nigeria on July 28 before facing Egypt on August 1. They will conclude their Group C fixtures against Zambia on August 5.

Fazili has set an ambitious target of reaching the semi-finals and securing qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.