Malawi National Football Team Assistant Coach Peter Mponda believes the Flames have a chance to go past the group stages of the 2025 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Men’s Championship.
Mponda was reacting to the draw of the 24th edition conducted yesterday ahead of the tournament, which is scheduled for June 4 to 15 in Mangaung/ Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The Flames have been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions Angola, last year’s runners-up Namibia and Lesotho.
“It is a fair draw. All teams in our group are strong and have been doing well. It gives each of the four teams a genuine chance to qualify for the semi-finals,” Mponda said.
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But this is a tough group for the Flames as it has both last year’s winners Angola and runners-up Namibia.
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On top of that, Lesotho have been a tough nut to crack at the Cosafa Cup in recent times.
Malawi and Angola are familiar foes as they were in the same group during the 2016 competition but the Flames triumphed 3-0 thanks to Frank Gabadinho Mhango’s hat-trick.
They were also in the same group in 2018 but the match ended goal-less.
Malawi were also in the same group with Namibia at the 2021 Cosafa Cup but the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
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The Flames recently lost 1-0 to Namibia in a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Malawi coach Kalisto Pasuwa has been tasked to win the Cosafa Cup within two years.
This year’s tournament will attract 14 teams.
Group A comprises hosts South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius and Zimbabwe, Group C has guest nation Morocco, Madagascar and Eswatini whereas Group D comprises Zambia, Comoros and Botswana.
Group winners will advance to the semi-finals of the competition.
Group A winners will face Group D winners whereas the top team in Group B will meet the top team in Group C.
Malawi will make a return to the regional showpiece after missing last year’s edition following the death of State Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima in a plane crash.
Sports analyst George Kaudza Masina also described the draw as fair.
“A fair group for Malawi, albeit teams have improved over the years such that they cannot be overlooked,” he said.
In 2023, the Flames reached the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup for the first time in 20 years.
They, however, lost 3-0 to Lesotho on post-match penalties following a goal-less stalemate in regulation time.
The Flames have never won the Cosafa Cup but were runners-up in 2002 and 2003.
Zambia top the list of most titles with seven whereas Zimbabwe have won six titles.
South Africa and Angola have five and four titles, respectively. Namibia have won the Cosafa title once.
