# Temwa Chawinga

Temwa Chaŵinga (born September 20, 1998) is a Malawian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Malawi national team. In her first season in the NWSL, she set the single-season scoring record with 21 goals for the Current. She previously played for Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK and Chinese club Wuhan Jianghan University.

## Early life

Chaŵinga was born on September 20, 1998, in Rumphi district, Northern Region, Malawi. She is the youngest of five children. She is of Tumbuka ethnicity and her name Temwa means "love" in Tumbuka language. Her older sister, Tabitha Chawinga, is also a professional footballer. Tabitha has complained about the abuse she received as a girl playing football in Malawi. At one point she was made to strip in public to prove her gender..

## Club career
### Kvarnsvedens IK, 2017–2019

Chaŵinga signed with Kvarnsvedens IK in 2017.

### Wuhan Jianghan University FC, 2020–2023

In 2020, Chaŵinga signed a two-year contract with an option for an additional year at Wuhan Jianghan University F.C. In 2023, she scored a total of 63 goals for the club across all competitions, making her the world's top goalscorer for the year, male or female.

### Kansas City Current, 2024–

On January 3, 2024, Chaŵinga signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Current. She scored her first goal for the Current in a 4–2 win over Angel City FC on March 30, becoming the first Malawian goalscorer in NWSL history. She quickly impressed with four goals in her first five games and was named to the NWSL Team of the Month for March/April. She scored six goals in four games in the month of June, leading her to be named NWSL Player of the Month. She overtook the Orlando Pride's Barbra Banda for the Golden Boot lead with a brace against the Houston Dash on June 28, helping the Current win their then-record 17th undefeated regular-season game in a row.
Chawinga scored in a league-record eight regular-season games in a row from June 9 to September 7. She was again named NWSL Player of the Month with four goals in five games in September. She scored her 19th goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Bay FC on October 12, breaking Sam Kerr's single-season record of 18 goals in 2019. With her 20th goal against the San Diego Wave, she became the first NWSL player to score against all 13 other teams in one season. On October 26, she scored the only two goals in the final of the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Chawinga became the first player in NWSL history to score 20 goals in a single season and was awarded the 2024 NWSL Golden Boot. She was voted NWSL Most Valuable Player in November 2024.

## Personal life

Chaŵinga's older sister Tabitha is also a Malawian international footballer.

## Career statistics
### International goals

Scores and results list Malawi's goal tally first
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 30 December 2016 | Nankhaka Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi, Malawi | Zambia | 1–1 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 15 September 2017 | Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Madagascar | 3–0 | 6–3 | 2017 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 3 | 15 September 2017 | Barbourfields Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Madagascar | 4–0 | 6–3 | 2017 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 4 | 17 September 2017 | Luveve Stadium, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2017 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 5 | 4 April 2019 | Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi | Mozambique | 2–0 | 11–1 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 6 | 4 April 2019 | Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi | Mozambique | 4–0 | 11–1 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 7 | 4 April 2019 | Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi | Mozambique | 5–0 | 11–1 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 8 | 4 April 2019 | Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi | Mozambique | 7–0 | 11–1 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 9 | 4 April 2019 | Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi | Mozambique | 10–0 | 11–1 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 10 | 9 April 2019 | Estádio do Zimpeto, Maputo, Mozambique | Mozambique | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2020 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 11 | 7 November 2020 | Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa | Lesotho | 3–0 | 9–0 | 2020 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 12 | 9 November 2020 | Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa | Zambia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2020 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 13 | 12 November 2020 | Wolfson Stadium, Ibhayi, South Africa | South Africa | 1–1 | 2–6 | 2020 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 14 | 25 September 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Seychelles | 12–0 | 17–0 | Friendly |
| 15 | 25 September 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Seychelles | 13–0 | 17–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 25 September 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Seychelles | 14–0 | 17–0 | Friendly |
| 17 | 4 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | South Africa | 2–1 | 4–3 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 18 | 4 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | South Africa | 3–1 | 4–3 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 19 | 4 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | South Africa | 4–1 | 4–3 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 20 | 7 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Eswatini | 5–0 | 8–0 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 21 | 7 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Eswatini | 6–0 | 8–0 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 22 | 7 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Eswatini | 7–0 | 8–0 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 23 | 7 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Eswatini | 8–0 | 8–0 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 24 | 13 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Mozambique | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |
| 25 | 13 October 2023 | Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria | Mozambique | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship |

## Honours

Kansas City Current
* NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup: 2024
Wuhan Jianghan University
* Chinese Women's Super League: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

### Individual

* NWSL Most Valuable Player: 2024
* NWSL Golden Boot: 2024
* NWSL Best XI First Team: 2024