Women’s football in Malawi breaks down prejudices and opens new opportunities.
They both play as central defenders and both have reached the national team. Fatsileni Kazembe and Ruth Myirongo are footballers in the Malawi women’s football league. References in their teams, the Civil Service Women’s Football Team and the Silvers Strikers Ladies, respectively, have shared their story with MUNDO NEGRO at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Malawian women’s football took its first steps in 1998. As can be read on the official website of the Malawi Football Association, “the Federation has managed to create the elite regional women’s league and two national teams: the senior women’s team and the women’s under-20 football team.” Nicknamed the Scorchers, the women’s football team debuted in 2002 in the COSAFA Cup, an international competition organized by the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), which was held that year in Zimbabwe. Although the beginnings were not easy, after eight appearances, the Abrasadoras lifted their first COSAFA Cup in 2023 in South Africa after defeating Zambia 2-1 in the final, a country that has accumulated seven titles. Although Fatsileni Kazembe and Ruth Nyirongo were not capped on that occasion, they are also undeniably contributing to the growth of women’s football in Malawi.
Two paths, one dream
In Kazembe, sport and its beliefs coexist naturally. A Muslim born 29 years ago in Lilongwe, she plays for the Civil Service Women’s Football Team, one of the ten clubs in the country’s Women’s League. Both in training and in games, the central defender always wears the hijab that covers her head and neck. Under the shorts he wears light yellow thermal tights.
Perhaps this note from his profile helps to understand the choice he makes of his reference on the field of play. Kazembe’s favorite player is the Moroccan Nouhaila Benzina, a Muslim soccer player who made history at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, by being the first to play with the Muslim veil. “She inspires me,” admits the Malawian.
But soccer was not Kazembe’s first sport, since as a child she played basketball. When she reached fifth grade, women’s soccer was introduced at her school and she had to play: “At first it was an obligation, but over time we became addicted,” Kazembe remembers. That first contact did not excite his family: «Some thought that football was satanic. “They said that when you play you change your habits, but now I am proving them wrong,” adds the soccer player. Today, her family is proud of her and supports her in her career.
Kazembe’s talent led her to wear the women’s team shirt in the COSAFA Cup in 2017. However, in the last two years, the Federation has not called her up. She explains: “Each coach has his own philosophy and the type of players he wants.”
While another call-up to the national team arrives, Fatsileni Kazembe remains focused on her personal goal, which is none other than helping her team win games. Likewise, she dreams of developing projects to promote women’s football in her country and training as a coach. That’s why he currently works at Mpira Mmudzi Mwathu, an academy in Area 3 of Lilongwe dedicated to the development of children under five through grassroots football.
Versatile defense
In the squad of the Silvers Strikers Ladies, current champions of the Malawi National League, Ruth Nyirongo, a 27-year-old central defender, stands out. She also played basketball in Primary, but a high school teacher, Allan Nkhonjela, saw great potential in her and influenced her to dedicate herself to football: «I was 15 years old when he convinced me to start. He thought he could go far and I accepted,” explains Nyirongo.
Ruth Nyirongo also plays as a central defender, although she can cover the right back when the team needs it. She recognizes that her work on the field is demanding and, at times, stressful: “When we play against a team that has a very fast player, I don’t sleep well thinking that the next day I will have to chase her throughout the game,” she says, laughing. One of her most exciting memories dates back to the beginning of the 2025-2026 season, when she scored the first goal of the match: “I was very happy because scoring a goal as a defender is something special.”
The player remembers her call-up with the national team in 2017 as a stage of great learning, since “there we meet teammates of all kinds and we learn a lot from each other,” explains Nyirongo. One of the moments she enjoys the most is when she goes out on the street and her followers recognize her, greet her or take photos with her. Although from a distance, he likes to watch English Premier League games, but when we ask him about his favorite La Liga team, he shouts, raising his hand: “Real Madrid.”
Stadiums and sponsorships
Adellaide Migogo has been president of the Malawi Women’s Football Federation for three years. According to her, “women’s football is growing very quickly and is becoming a window to promote African footballers.” Like Kazembe, Migogo emphasizes that religion is not an obstacle to competing in the country: «There is no discrimination. We have Christian and Muslim players, and they can play with the Muslim veil,” he says. Even so, the challenges remain important. The lack of adequate fields, equipment and sponsors limits the development of the competition. Sometimes, women’s teams are even prevented from using the field if a men’s team is going to play later.
“What is the reason?” we ask. “You already know the African myths,” responds the president of the Federation. And he continues: «They believe that if a women’s team plays first they will lose the game. But that is just a myth,” explains Migogo.
Added to this is the fact that many stadiums were built with only men’s football in mind, so the changing rooms and certain services do not respond to the needs of women. Despite this reality, Migogo looks to the future with hope.
The Malawi Women’s Football Federation, which dreams of creating more competitions for young women and getting sponsors to guarantee their economic stability, is currently celebrating their brilliant role in the recent Africa Cup, in which they have also managed to qualify to participate, for the first time, in a World Cup. Now it’s time to think about Brazil 2027.
