Wikipedia

Temwa Chawinga

Temwa Chaŵinga (born September 20, 1998) is a Malawian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Malawi national team. She won the NWSL Golden Boot and NWSL Most Valuable Player awards in both of her first two seasons with the Current.

Temwa Chaŵinga
Chawinga with the Kansas City Current in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-09-20) September 20, 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth Malawi
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Forward[1]
Team information
Current team
 Kansas City Current
Number 6
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Blantyre Zero 3 (29)
2017–2019 Kvarnsveden 57 (55)
2020–2023 Wuhan Jianghan 84 (83)
2024– Kansas City Current 52 (38)
International career‡
2016– Malawi 15+ (25+)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 October 2023

The younger sister of Tabitha Chawinga, she joined her sister at Swedish club Kvarnsveden in 2017. Three years later, she moved to Wuhan Jianghan, winning four consecutive Chinese league titles and becoming the world's leading goal scorer in 2023. In 2024, she joined the Current and set the NWSL's single-season record with 20 league goals in her debut season. She led the Current to the NWSL Shield in dominant fashion in 2025.

Chawinga made her international debut for Malawi in 2016. In 2023, she led Malawi to their first COSAFA Women's Championship title.

Early life

edit

Chaŵinga was born on September 20, 1998, in Rumphi district, Northern Region, Malawi.[2] She is the youngest of five children. She is of Tumbuka ethnicity and her name Temwa means "love" in Tumbuka language.[3] Her older sister, Tabitha Chawinga, is also a professional footballer.[4]

Club career

edit

Kvarnsveden

edit

Chaŵinga signed with Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK in 2017.[5][6]

Wuhan Jianghan

edit

In January 2020, Chaŵinga signed with Chinese Women's Super League club Wuhan Jianghan on a two-year contract.[7] Her sister Tabitha played for Chinese reigning champions Jiangsu at the time.[7] However, the COVID-19 pandemic soon began in Wuhan and the city was placed under lockdown for several months.[7] After the league resumed play, Chawinga scored 9 goals in her debut season, second only to Shanghai Shengli's Barbra Banda, and helped Wuhan to the league title.[8]

Chawinga was joined in Wuhan by her sister Tabitha in 2021.[9] She fired 7 goals while her sister led the league with 9, repeating as league champions.[9] In 2022, she led the league with 10 goals after Tabitha left for Inter Milan, helping win her third consecutive league title.[10]

In 2023, Chawinga scored a total of 51 goals for Wuhan across all competitions and 12 for Malawi, making her the world's top goal scorer for the year, male or female.[11] She helped the club to their record fourth consecutive league title.[12]

Kansas City Current

edit

2024: Record-setting Golden Boot and MVP

edit

On January 3, 2024, Chaŵinga signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Current.[5] She scored her first goal for the Current in a 4–2 win over Angel City FC on March 30, becoming the first Malawian goalscorer in NWSL history.[13] She quickly impressed with four goals in her first five games and was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for March/April.[14][15] She scored six goals in four games in the month of June, leading her to be named NWSL Player of the Month.[16] She overtook the Orlando Pride's Zambian striker Barbra Banda for the Golden Boot lead with a brace against the Houston Dash on June 28, helping the Current win their then league record 17th undefeated regular season game in a row.[17]

Goal celebration with the Current in 2024

Chaŵinga scored in a league-record eight regular-season games in a row from June 9 to September 7. She was again named NWSL Player of the Month with four goals in five games in September.[18][19] She scored her 19th goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Bay FC on October 12, breaking Sam Kerr's single-season record of 18 goals in 2019.[20] With her 20th goal against the San Diego Wave, she became the first NWSL player to score against all 13 other teams in one season.[21] On October 26, she scored the only two goals in the final of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup against NJ/NY Gotham FC.[22] Chawinga became the first player in NWSL history to score 20 goals in a single season and was awarded the NWSL Golden Boot.[23] She was also voted NWSL Most Valuable Player.[24] She was ranked by The Guardian as the 19th best player in the world in 2025.[25]

2025: NWSL Shield and second MVP

edit

On January 29, 2025, Chawinga signed a three-year contract extension to keep her with the Current through 2028.[26] On May 16, she scored her 25th career NWSL regular-season goal in a 1–0 win over the Orlando Pride, becoming the fastest player to reach that mark (34 games).[27] On September 20, she scored in a 2–0 win over the Seattle Reign, clinching the NWSL Shield with the best record in the league in record time.[28] On October 18, she left the game against the Houston Dash with a leg injury in the first half.[29]

Chawinga finished the 2025 regular season with 15 goals in 23 appearances to win the Golden Boot for a second consecutive time, joining Sam Kerr as the only players to win multiple times.[30] The team set multiple NWSL records including most points, most wins, and fewest goals allowed in a season.[31] She was unable to return from her injury for the playoffs as the Current were upset by Gotham FC in the quarterfinals.[31] In 2025 she was named NWSL MVP for the second consecutive season, making her the first NWSL player to receive that award in two consecutive seasons.[32] She was ranked by The Guardian as the sixth best player in the world in 2025.[33]

2026

edit

After missing the first four games of the season, Chawinga returned from injury on April 4, 2026, recording an assist in 40 minutes of action as the Current won 2–1 against Gotham FC.[34] On May 10, she scored her first goals back – scoring the first regular season hat trick in franchise history with all three in a 3–0 win over the Chicago Stars – and was named NWSL Player of the Week.[35]

International career

edit

Personal life

edit

Chaŵinga's older sister Tabitha is also a Malawian international footballer.[3]

Career statistics

edit

International goals

edit

Scores and results list Malawi's goal tally first

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
130 December 2016Nankhaka Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi, Malawi Zambia1–12–3Friendly
215 September 2017Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Madagascar3–06–32017 COSAFA Women's Championship
34–0
417 September 2017Luveve Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe1–23–3
54 April 2019Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi Mozambique2–011–12020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
64–0
75–0
87–0
910–0
109 April 2019Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique Mozambique0–10-3
117 November 2020Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa Lesotho3–09–02020 COSAFA Women's Championship
129 November 2020Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa Zambia1–01–0
1312 November 2020Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa South Africa1–12–6
1425 September 2023Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria Seychelles12–017–0Friendly[36]
1513–0
1614–0
174 October 2023Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria South Africa2–14–32023 COSAFA Women's Championship
183–1
194–1
207 October 2023Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria Eswatini5–08–0
216–0
227–0
238–0
2413 October 2023Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria Mozambique1–12–1
252–1

Honors and awards

edit

References

edit
  1. ↑ Temwa Chawinga at Soccerway
  2. ↑ Pensulo, Charles (August 6, 2021). "'A violation': football star recounts having to strip during match to prove she was female". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Ahmadu, Samuel (March 6, 2021). "Chawinga: Tabitha joins Malawian sister Temwa at Wuhan". Goal.com. Goal. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Idrottonline". www.rf.se (in Swedish). Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Kansas City Current sign Malawi international forward - Kansas City Current". www.kansascitycurrent.com. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ↑ Bågefeldt, Kristian (January 3, 2020). "Temwa Chawinga flyttar till Kina – så mycket tjänar Kvarnsveden på skyttedrottningen: 'Över miljonen'". Dala-Demokraten (in Swedish). Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 "Relief for Temwa as Wuhan lockdown is lifted". The Nation. April 9, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  8. ↑ "#CWSL | Topscorers of the League". China Women's Football - 中国女足. October 11, 2020. Archived from the original on October 11, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "2021女超联赛落下帷幕 武汉车谷江大逆转夺冠" (in Chinese). Chinese Football Association. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ Solms, Leonard (December 1, 2022). "Barcelona's Oshoala mounts a comeback as women's leagues continue apace". ESPN. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  11. ↑ Burhan, Asif. "Malawi's Temwa Chawinga Ends 2023 As The World's Leading Goal scorer". Forbes. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  12. ↑ "四连冠+大满贯，武汉女足姑娘一直奋勇争先". news.cjn.cn (in Chinese). November 25, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  13. ↑ Hartley, Maddie (March 30, 2024). "KC Current stays unbeaten as Temwa Chawinga makes history in victory over Angel City". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  14. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (April 20, 2024). "KC Current blasts Bay FC at CPKC Stadium. Temwa Chawinga & Bia provided the fireworks". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ↑ "NWSL Announces March/April Best XI of the Month, Presented by Amazon Prime" (Press release). National Women's Soccer League. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Current's Temwa Chawinga named NWSL Player of the Month, presented by EA Sports" (Press release). Kansas City Current. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  17. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (June 28, 2024). "Temwa Chawinga shot a ball into the river. Then she set the KC Current goals record". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  18. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (September 1, 2024). "Temwa Chawinga scores again, but KC Current falls to NC Courage on late NWSL goal". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Kansas City Current Forward Temwa Chawinga Named September Player of the Month, presented By EA SPORTS". National Women's Soccer League. October 3, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  20. ↑ Munson, Bella (October 13, 2024). "Temwa Chawinga sets new single-season scoring record". The Equalizer. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  21. ↑ "NWSL Weekend Sees Chawinga Score 20th Goal". Just Women's Sports. October 21, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  22. 1 2 "Temwa Chawinga lifts Kansas City over Gotham to win inaugural Summer Cup". The Equalizer. October 26, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  23. 1 2 NWSL (November 4, 2024). "Kansas City Current Forward Temwa Chawinga Claims 2024 NWSL Golden Boot | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga voted NWSL MVP Chawinga becomes first player in franchise history to earn MVP following historic 2024 season". kansascitycurrent.com. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  25. ↑ "The 100 best female footballers in the world 2024". The Guardian. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga agrees to three-year contract extension". Kansas City Current. January 29, 2025. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  27. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (May 17, 2025). "Chawinga's record 25th NWSL goal propels Current past Pride". ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  28. 1 2 Kassouf, Jeff (September 20, 2025). "KC Current beat Seattle Reign to clinch 2025 NWSL Shield". ESPN. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  29. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (October 18, 2025). "KC Current loses Saturday's match, and potentially superstar Chawinga, at Houston". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  30. 1 2 "Temwa Chawinga Wins 2025 NWSL Golden Boot". Kansas City Current. November 2, 2025. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  31. 1 2 Kassouf, Jeff (November 9, 2025). "Gotham FC shun underdog tag, stun No. 1 Current in playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 Henderson, Cydney (November 19, 2025). "2025 NWSL Awards live updates: Full list of winners, highlights". USA Today. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  33. ↑ Laverty, Rich (December 4, 2025). "The 100 best female footballers in the world 2025". The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  34. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (April 4, 2026). "How the Kansas City Current rallied for important comeback home win vs. Gotham FC". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  35. ↑ Swartz, Gabe (May 13, 2026). "Chawinga's hat trick leads to NWSL Player of the Week award". KCTV. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Scorchers thrash Seychelles by record 17-0". Malawi24. September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Kansas City Current sign a decorated Malawian international player". Yahoo Sports. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  38. ↑ "KC Current's Chawinga named NWSL MVP". ESPN.com. November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  39. ↑ NWSL (November 18, 2024). "NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Temwa_Chawinga&oldid=1354243003"