Kenya’s Harambee Starlets have pulled out of a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) warm-up invitational tournament scheduled for Malawi later in November.
Instead, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) announced that Harambee Starlets will travel to Algeria for back-to-back strength-building matches on Sunday and Thursday.
The absence of the Kenyans has since reduced the competition to a three-nation event. Now Malawi the hosts will face neighbours Zambia and Zimbabwe from November 28 to December 2, 2025 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
A statement from the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) confirms that the competition will now involve only three teams following the absence of the East African opposition.
“Initially, Kenya had also been invited, but the team opted for alternative fixtures, reducing the tournament to three nations,” read the statement in part.
Football Association of Malawi has since released fixtures indicating that the Scorchers will open the fixtures with a meeting against Zimbabwe on Friday, November 28, before taking on Zambia on Sunday, November 30.
The Copper Queens and Zimbabwe will meet in the final on Tuesday, December 2 when ultimately the team with the highest tally of points will be crowned champions.
The Scorchers and the Copper Queens are warming up for the 2026 WAFCON scheduled for Morocco in March.
Meanwhile, Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili will announce his squad for the tournament on Friday. France-based star Tabitha Chawinga is expected to participate in the competition.
Zimbabwe coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda has also released a provisional squad for the trip to Lilongwe with only home-based players considered.
Earlier reports had suggested that South Africa were also earmarked for participation but there was no confirmation.
