Why Chawinga won the WAFOCN 2026 Golden Boot ahead of Banda, Manga

By Amaechi Agbo

Five goals were enough to put Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga, Zambia’s Barbra Banda and Cameroon’s Marie Ngah Manga level at the top of the scoring charts at the  Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.

But Chawinga finished the tournament with something the other two did not – two assists to go with her five goals, giving the Malawi forward a tournament-leading seven direct goal involvements.

It was standout individual campaign for Chawinga, who helped Malawi reach the final on their first appearance at the TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON.

The forward scored twice in Malawi’s opening 3-2 victory over Nigeria before adding goals against Egypt, Ghana and Algeria as the Scorchers continued their historic run.

Her ability to both score and create made her one of the most influential attacking players in Morocco. Her five goals matched the tournament’s joint-highest tally, while her two assists gave her the highest number of direct goal involvements among the leading scorers.

Zambia captain Barbra Banda also finished on five goals after another prolific tournament.

Banda made an immediate impact in Zambia’s opening match, scoring four times in the 6-0 victory over Egypt. She added another goal later in the competition and also registered one assist.

Cameroon forward Marie Ngah joined Chawinga and Banda on five goals after ending the tournament in spectacular fashion.

Ngah Manga scored twice in the final against Malawi as Cameroon lifted their first TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON title.

The brace took her to five goals for the tournament and ensured that three players shared the top spot in the scoring charts.

The Chawinga sisters finished Morocco 2026 with nine goals between them, accounting for a significant share of Malawi’s attacking output.

WAFCON Morocco 2026 Top Goalscorers

Temwa Chawinga (Malawi) – 5 goals, 2 assists

Barbra Banda (Zambia) – 5 goals, 1 assist

Marie Ngah Manga (Cameroon) – 5 goals