Vanessa Chikupira
Malawian footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vanessa Mbinho Chikupila (sometimes spelled Chikupira; born 2 April 1996) is a Malawian footballer who has played as a forward for the Green Buffaloes team in Zambia and the Biik-Kazygurt club in Kazakhstan. She was a member of the Malawi women's national team in 2025.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vanessa Mbinho Chikupila[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 2 April 1996 | ||
| Position | Forward[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Biik-Kazygurt club | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Blantyre Zero | |||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020– | Malawi | 4 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 October 2021.[2] | |||
Club career
Chikupira has played for Blantyre Zero in Malawi.[3]
On 2023 she was the leading goalscorer for FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.[4] At the end of the year she signed for the Green Buffaloes team in Zambia.[5]
After a year in Zambia she moved to the Biik-Kazygurt club in Kazakhstan women's top football league. She was accompanied by Bernadette Mkandawire who also joined the same club.[6]
International career
Chikupira capped for Malawi at senior level during two COSAFA Women's Championship editions (2020 and 2021).[2] She was chosen again for the 2022 Championships. She was one of five Nyasa Bullets players chosen the others were rookie Bernadette Mkandawire, Emily Jossam, Mary Chavinda and goalkeeper Martha Banda.[7]
She was one of the players who obtained a hat trick on a 17-0 friendly against the team from the Seychelles in September 2023.[4]
In February 2025 she flew back to Africa to join other players picked to play Zambia. She was one of seven players based abroad who were included in Lovemore Fazili's Zambia squad. Chimwemwe Madise and Sabina Thom are contracted to play in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Tabitha Chawinga and Rose Kabzere are in France. Bernadette Mkandawire was with Chikupira in Zambia and Temwa Chawinga joined them from America.[8]
