2028 Olympic Qualifiers (Women): Kenya wins 11-0 and Temwa Chawinga scores four for Malawi

The second round of African qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 women's Olympic tournament concluded on October 13, 2026, with a series of high-scoring matches. The day before, on October 12, Kenya crushed the Seychelles 11-0, with a hat-trick from Jentrix Shikangwa, while Malawi won 7-0 against Zimbabwe, with Temwa Chawinga scoring four goals on her own, according to Africa Radio.

That same evening, Algeria beat the Central African Republic 7-0, following an initial 8-0 victory, for a 15-0 aggregate score. Ghana dominated Mauritius 7-0 (10-0 on aggregate), Nigeria saw off the Comoros 5-0, and South Africa secured their ticket by beating Madagascar 3-0.

Two turnarounds

Two teams reversed the course of their duels in the second leg. Zambia, beaten 2-1 in the first leg by Uganda, won 4-1; Mali, defeated 3-1 by Benin, won 6-2 in Bamako. Morocco advanced without playing after Congo withdrew, Africa Radio specifies.

In other matches on October 13, Ethiopia snatched a draw against Rwanda (1-1) and advanced thanks to their 1-0 first-leg win, Burkina Faso drew 1-1 in Equatorial Guinea after winning 3-1, and Tanzania thrashed Botswana 6-0. Angola, who beat Namibia 2-0 on October 12, also qualified.

Nguénar Ndiaye's brace in Dakar

At the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor Stadium in Dakar, Senegal eliminated Tunisia 2-0 on October 13, thanks to a brace from Nguénar Ndiaye in the 12th and 26th minutes. The Lionesses emerged from this double-header without conceding a single goal, following their 1-0 first-leg victory, reports the Senegalese Press Agency. They will face the winner of the duel between Mali and Benin in the next round. Côte d'Ivoire, for their part, beat DR Congo 3-0 in Abidjan, for a 7-1 aggregate.

Five rounds and only two tickets

The African qualifying tournament brings together 35 teams and is played over five rounds, with home-and-away matches, with the six lowest-ranked nations in the FIFA rankings entering the fray in the first round. The third round is scheduled for February-March 2027, the fourth from October 4 to 12, 2027, and the final round from November 24 to December 4, 2027, according to the APS. Only the two winners of this final round will reach the Los Angeles Olympic tournament, scheduled for July 14 to 30, 2028.

This is the paradox of these goal-filled evenings: a continent that fields strikers capable of scoring four times in a match will only send two nations to the Games. Fourteen months of qualifying still await those who dream of California.