The Embassy of Iceland in Malawi has pledged to continue supporting the growth of football in the country through its partnership with Lilongwe’s Ascent Soccer Academy.
Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland in Lilongwe, Davio Bjarnason, said this during a 2026 tournament at Ascent Academy in Lilongwe on Saturday.
He said the embassy was proud to be associated with the growth of football, particularly women’s football in the country.
“We are delighted to see the growth of girls’ football in Malawi and follow the impressive progress of Ascent Soccer teams. They are now hard at work preparing for the Rey Cup in Iceland this July and we cannot wait to see them shine back home in Iceland and on the international stage,” he said.
The Embassy of Iceland and Ascent Soccer signed a two-year partnership last year.
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Through the partnership, the embassy and Ascent collaborate to advance women’s football in Malawi under an innovative Full Circle Equity Programme.
The project aims to increase girls’ participation in football nationwide, expand coach education and resources, create transformative opportunities for Malawi’s most talented female players and strengthen Ascent’s capacity to drive long-term change in the women’s game.
Ascent Programme Coordination Lead, Rory Murphy, said the tournament was a good platform for the girls to showcase their skills and talent.
“We are excited to show the whole world that we have talent in Malawi. The girls are really working so hard,” he said.
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Through the agreement, Ascent female players have been spending time with a professional women’s team in Reykjavik whereas Ascent will host Icelandic interns in Malawi.
In addition, Ascent staff members have also been travelling to Iceland for professional development.
Ascent will travel to Iceland again in July this year and 2027 with both boys’ and girls’ teams having participated in the Rey Cup in 2023 and 2024.
The boys team made history when they clinched the Rey Cup—becoming the first African team to achieve that feat.
