Temwa Chawinga of Malawi made history with a Top 10 Women’s Ballon d’Or Ranking

Temwa Chawinga made history after becoming the first African woman to enter the top 10 of the Women’s Ballon d’Or rankings.

In the list published by the Ballon d’Or on Monday, October 26, the Malawi striker was included in the list of top female players, including Spain’s Alexia Putellas, two-time Women’s Ballon d’Or winner; Poland’s Ewa Pajor, who played a key role in Barcelona’s UEFA Women’s Champions League win; and Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw, who won the Women’s Super League Golden Boot three times in a row.

Other notable players on the list include Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay, who impressed with OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women’s Champions League; England’s Alessia Russo, who plays for Arsenal; Norway’s Caroline Graham Hansen, Barcelona’s key forward; and Denmark’s Pernille Harder, who enjoyed success with Bayern Munich.

The Malawi forward has earned two consecutive Women’s Ballon d’Or nominations, after ranking 17th in the 2025 rankings.

Born on 20 September 1998, Chawinga is a Malawian professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the Malawi national team.

She won the NWSL Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards in her first two seasons with the Kansas City Current.

Chawinga made her first appearance for Malawi in 2016 and helped the country win its first COSAFA Women’s Championship title in 2023.

Her individual achievements include being joint-top scorer at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, being named to the Team of the Tournament at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, and winning the Chinese Women’s Super League Golden Boot in 2022 and 2023.

Chawinga’s achievements highlight the growing international recognition of African women’s football. The Malawian forward has established herself among the leading players in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

By: Adedoyin Onajobi