This year’s FDH Bank Cup kicks off on May 25 with 70 teams from the country’s three regions set to compete in the preliminary stage.
Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Competitions and Communications Director Gomezgani Zakazaka said this during the K150 million cup’s preliminary draw at Mpira Village in Blantyre Friday.
Zakazaka said the preliminary round will involve regional teams which will qualify for the national draw after two rounds of matches.
“Sixteen of the regional teams will qualify for the national draw. We expect a tough competition this year because of the increase in sponsorship and the prize money for winners and other recipients,” he said.
This year’s champion will get K35 million, up from last year’s K30 million while the losing finalist will pocket K15 million from K9 million given out last year.
There will also be K7 million for teams that will reach the semifinals. This is an increase from last year’s K2 million.
FDH will also dress the semifinalists and the 16 teams which will qualify for the national draw.
The teams will also each receive K1 million, up from last year’s K700,000.
This year’s competition has also excluded reserve sides for TNM Super League teams.
Nyasa Big Bullets won the cup in 2022 and last year with Silver Strikers winning the inaugural edition in 2021.
FDH Bank and Fam signed a sponsorship agreement for the cup in 2019 but the competition did not take place in 2020 due to the outbreak of the Covid pandemic.
