Temwa Chawinga becomes first African in Women’s Ballon d’Or top 10
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beninwebtv
Temwa Chawinga, a Malawian forward for Kansas City Current, finished 10th in the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player representing an African country to enter the top 10. The final ranking was published after Monday’s ceremony in London, according to Punch; she scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 22 matches during the period assessed.
Temwa Chawinga, a Malawian forward for Kansas City Current, finished 10th in the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or. She became the first player representing an African country to enter the top 10 of the award, according to the final ranking published after Monday’s ceremony at the London Palladium.
Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the trophy for the third time, ahead of Poland’s Ewa Pajor and Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw. Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay finished fourth and Zambia’s Barbra Banda 18th. Punch published the ordered list of positions, while Chawinga had already been among the final 10 candidates still in contention.
During the period assessed, Chawinga, 28, scored 15 goals and provided three assists in 22 matches, according to her official Ballon d’Or profile. She also won the NWSL Shield with Kansas City Current. In 2024 and 2025, she was named the NWSL’s best player and leading goalscorer, and holds the record for goals in a regular season with 20 in 2024. Before moving to the United States, she won four consecutive Chinese championships with Wuhan Jianghan University from 2020 to 2023.
Chawinga’s 10th-place finish follows her performances with Kansas City Current, including when she scored in a Kansas City Current draw on 12 September 2026.
