Malawian footballer Temwa Chawinga has made history at the 2026 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first African woman to break into the top 10 of the Women’s Ballon d’Or rankings. She claimed 10th place at the ceremony held at London’s Palladium Theatre on Monday, October 26, marking a major moment for African women’s football.
This is not the first time Temwa Chawinga will break a record, playing for Kansas City Current in the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), she became the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards and the first to win both MVP and Golden Boot titles in consecutive seasons, 2024 and 2025 at the NWSL. Her latest Ballon d’Or finish improves on her 17th-place ranking in 2025 and places her among the world’s 10 most highly ranked female footballers.
Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, claiming the honour for the third time after previous victories in 2021 and 2022. Poland’s Ewa Pajor took second place, while Jamaica’s Khadija “Bunny” Shaw took third place. Temwa Chawinga’s 10th-place finish, however, was a landmark in its own right because no African woman had previously reached the top 10 since the Women’s Ballon d’Or was introduced. Zambia’s Barbra Banda had held the previous continental benchmark, finishing 12th in 2024. Banda, who plays for Orlando Pride, finished 18th in the 2026 rankings, making Chawinga the first African player to surpass that mark.
Temwa Chawinga’s rise didn’t happen overnight. Her reputation was built across several leagues and countries, with her goalscoring record making her stand out everywhere she has played. Before arriving in the United States, she spent two seasons with Sweden’s Kvarnsvedens IK, scoring 55 goals in 57 appearances. She then moved to China, where she scored 84 goals in 84 appearances for Wuhan Jianghan University between 2020 and 2023. The 51 goals she scored in all competitions in 2023 were a glimpse of the player she would become on the international stage.
When Temwa Chawinga joined Kansas City Current in 2024, she scored 20 regular-season goals during her debut, setting a new NWSL single-season record and becoming the first African-born player to win the league’s Most Valuable Player award. She also claimed the Golden Boot as the league’s leading regular-season scorer. She followed that with another outstanding season in 2025, winning both awards for a second consecutive year. Her 15 regular-season goals helped Kansas City Current secure the NWSL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record.
The 28-year-old’s success has also brought her recognition beyond club football. She made her debut for Malawi at 18 and has represented the national team in regional competitions, including the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women’s Championship. At the 2023 COSAFA Cup, she won both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball after scoring nine goals. Her growing international profile has helped bring greater attention to Malawi’s women’s team, known as the Scorchers, and to the talent emerging from African women’s football. Africa is yet to produce a winner of the Women’s Ballon d’Or, but with Chawinga now inside the top 10, we are getting there.
The Ballon d’Or, established by French magazine France Football in 1956, is among football’s most prestigious individual honours. The women’s award was introduced in 2018, giving female players a dedicated platform to be recognised for their performances. Since 2024, the awards have been organised jointly by France Football’s parent company, the L’Équipe Group, and UEFA. The 2026 ceremony marked the award’s 70th anniversary and was held in London for the first time.
