The Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, arrived home to a heroes’ welcome, with thousands of people turning out to celebrate their historic WAFCON campaign.
The team touched down at Kamuzu International Airport at 4:30pm after their record-breaking run in Morocco where they finished as runners-up and qualified for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
What was expected to be a short transfer to their base turned into a four-hour victory procession.
The Scorchers only arrived at Capital Hotel at 8:30pm because of massive crowds of watertight fans who lined the entire road from KIA to the city centre to cheer the heroes.
Fans, waving flags and singing, packed pavements, overpasses and junctions to catch a glimpse of their heroes.
Traffic came to a standstill as motorists and pedestrians joined in celebrating the Scorchers’ achievement.
For many supporters, it was a chance to personally thank the team for putting Malawi on the continental and global football map for the first time.
The team will now have a series of official receptions planned this week to honour them.
