Temwa Chawinga Nominated for BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year Award

Written by Peter Kanjere
Malawi sports betting writer
Published 12 November 2026

Malawi women’s national football team forward Temwa Chawinga has been nominated for the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2026 Award.

The 28-year-old will compete for the award alongside Poland and Barcelona forward Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas (London City Lionesses and Spain), Arsenal and England women’s team midfielder Alessia Russo, and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw of Jamaica and Manchester City Women.

Temwa is the only African shortlisted for the accolade following her outstanding performance that saw her win the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Golden Boot Award.

The Kansas City Current FC player is the reigning National Women’s Soccer League MVP and Golden Boot Award winner, having scored 15 goals during the 2025 season and claiming the top scorer gong twice on the trot.

The Malawian helped the Scorchers to win silver at the 2026 WAFCON final tournament, held in Morocco from July to August 2026. She was eventually nominated for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or and finished in 10th place.

Fans from any corner of the world can vote for the shortlisted players via BBC online, with voting set to close on Wednesday, 18 November at 09:00 GMT. The winner will be announced on Sunday, 13 December.

Contenders for the accolade are nominated by coaches, journalists and former professionals, covering performances from September 2025 to September 2026.