US-based Malawian women’s football superstar Temwa Chawinga is basking in global limelight after becoming the first female African footballer to break into the Women’s Ballon d’Or top 10.

The 28-year-old smiling assassin touched new dizzy heights of her glittering career when she was named 10th in absentia during the ceremony in London on Monday night.

To add extra spice, the Scorchers and Kansas City (KC) Current forward was the only player based outside Europe to make the top 10 women’s list.

Zambian Barbara Banda, who was the other African woman nominee for the prestigious award, finished 18th.

Before Temwa’s feat, Banda held the best African women’s category finish in 2024 when she was ranked 12th.

Temwa could not be reached for comment, but in an interview yesterday, her France-based sister Tabitha, who was also nominated for the award in 2024, said her sibling deserved to be in the top three.

She said: “I am extremely happy that she has set a record as the first African woman footballer to achieve that. It is not an easy feat and we thank Almighty God for His blessings.

“But as I said,  my position remains that she deserved to be in the top three, considering her achievements. Nevertheless, we accept the outcome and I have all the hope that better things are coming in the future.

“After all, a top-10 finish isn’t bad. She is a superstar.”

Football Association of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya also hailed Temwa in a post on his Facebook page.

He wrote: “Congratulations to Temwa ‘TC6’ Chawinga on finishing 10th in the 2026 Ballon d’Or rankings. She continues to break barriers, becoming the first African woman to finish in the top 10 of the Women’s Ballon d’Or rankings.

“Under our [football]transformation agenda, Malawi continues to achieve milestones we have never reached before. This is another proud moment for our country, let us celebrate this remarkable achievement.

“Congratulations Temwa! Keep flying the Malawi flag high.”

Temwa’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWLS) side KC Current also praised the forward, saying the feat highlights individual excellence of two of their  standout players. Temwa’s club teammate Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena da Silva Leite  was ranked 28th.

This was Temwa’s second career Ballon d’Or nomination, having finished 17th in  2025.

She has established herself as one of the most prolific forwards in the game, becoming the first player in NWSL history to win the league’s Most Valuable Player and Golden Boot awards in consecutive seasons in 2024 and 2025.

Last year, Temwa became the first NWSL player to score 20 goals in a single regular season.

This year, the Malawi Women’s National Football Team vice-captain inspired the Scorchers to reach the final of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco and, with it, qualification to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

 To spice it up, she won the Wafcon Golden Boot with five goals and two assists.

Alexia Puttelas of Barcelona and Spain won  the Women’s Ballon d’Or  followed by her Polish teammate Ewa Pajor while Khadija Shaw of Manchester City and Jamaica was third.

The men’s category was won by Bayern Munich and England forward Harry Kane.  Real Madrid and France striker Kyllian Mbappe was the runner-up while Barcelona’s Spanish teenage sensation  Lamine Yamal was third.

The two African men’s nominees Morocco and Paris Saint Germain midfielder Achraf Hakimi and Senegalese legendary striker Sadio Mane, who plays for Al Nassr were 13th and 29th, respectively.