Temwa Chawinga becomes first African woman to finish in Ballon d’Or top 10

Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga became the first African woman to finish in the women’s Ballon d’Or top 10. She plays for Kansas City Current and Malawi, and won four Chinese Women’s Super League titles with Wuhan Jianghan University before adding the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and the 2025 NWSL Shield. Chawinga was named NWSL MVP and won the league’s Golden Boot in both 2024 and 2025. Other top-10 players included Melchie Dumornay, Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw.