Banda, Chawinga lead early Golden Boot race

Zambian captain Barbra Banda and Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga are setting the pace in the race for the Golden Boot at the ongoing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Both players delivered standout performances in their opening group matches, significantly impacting their teams' results.

Banda, playing for Orlando Pride, leads the scoring charts with four goals and an assist after inspiring Zambia to a dominant 6-0 victory over Egypt. She was directly involved in five of Zambia's goals, scoring a penalty, a header, and two other goals. Malawi's Chawinga, a forward for Kansas City Current, scored a crucial hat-trick, including a stoppage-time winner, to secure a stunning 3-2 upset against 10-time champions Nigeria. This marked Malawi's first-ever goal and victory at the finals.

While both top scorers failed to find the net in their second group games, Cameroon's Marie Ngah Manga is also in contention with three goals. Meanwhile, hosts Morocco have become the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals, winning both their opening matches without conceding. Captain Ghizlane Chebbak aims to lead the Atlas Lionesses to their first title on home soil, having been runners-up in the last two editions. The record for most goals in a single tournament edition, held by Nigeria's Perpetua Nkwocha with 11 goals in 2010, remains unmatched.