Malawi national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Malawi

Nickname(s)	The Flames
Association	Football Association of Malawi
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Patrick Mabedi
Captain	John Banda
Most caps	Young Chimodzi (159)
Top scorer	Kinnah Phiri (71)
Home stadium	Bingu National Stadium
FIFA code	MWI
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	129 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest	53 (December 1992)
Lowest	138 (December 2007, March 2008)
Elo ranking
Current	149 20 (3 March 2019)
Highest	53 (6 July 1988)
Lowest	148 (November 2018)
First international
Nyasaland 0–5 Northern Rhodesia  (Malawi; 1957)
Biggest win
Malawi 8–1 Botswana  (Malawi; 13 July 1968)  Malawi 8–1 Djibouti  (Blantyre, Malawi; 31 May 2008)
Biggest defeat
Nyasaland 0–12  Ghana (Malawi; 15 October 1962)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	3 (first in 1984)
Best result	Round of 16 (2021)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	19 (first in 1997)
Best result	Runners-up (2002, 2003)
Medal record COSAFA Cup Silver 2002 Southern Africa Silver 2003 Southern Africa CECAFA Cup Gold 1978 Malawi Gold 1979 Kenya Gold 1988 Malawi Silver 1975 Zambia Silver 1984 Uganda Silver 1989 Kenya Bronze 1977 Somalia Bronze 1980 Sudan Bronze 1985 Zimbabwe

The Malawi national football team, also known as the Flames, represents the country of Malawi in association football (soccer). The team is managed by the Football Association of Malawi. Before 1966, the team was called the Nyasaland national football team.

The Flames have played in the Africa Cup of Nations three times: in 1984, 2010, and 2021. They have also won the CECAFA Cup three times (1978, 1979, and 1988). In 2024, they finished fourth in the 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament.

History of Malawi Football

Early Coaches

The first full-time coach for the Malawi national football team was Ron Meades. The British Council helped arrange for him to coach the team. Later, Ray Batchelor coached the team for four years, from 1967 to 1971. He led the team in 23 friendly games and two Olympic Games. Over the years, other coaches like Brazilian Wander Moreira and British Ted Powell also led the team. The first local coach was Alex Masanjala, followed by Henry Moyo. Moyo was the first former national player to become the coach, and he stayed in the role for five years.

Major Tournaments

Malawi first played in the African Cup of Nations in 1984. Only eight teams competed in that tournament in Ivory Coast. Malawi lost to Algeria and Ghana but managed a 2-2 draw against Nigeria. They finished last in their group and were eliminated.

After 26 years, Malawi returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 2010. The team qualified because the games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup also counted for AFCON qualification. In the tournament in Angola, Malawi surprised many by beating Algeria 3-0 in their first game. However, they lost their next two games against Angola and Mali, which meant they didn't make it to the quarter-finals.

Malawi played in the Africa Cup of Nations again in 2021. They reached the Round of 16, which is their best performance in the tournament so far.

Recent Matches

The Malawi national football team plays many matches throughout the year, including friendly games and important qualification matches for major tournaments. Here are some of their recent results:

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

• 17 November 2023: Malawi won 1-0 against Liberia in a World Cup qualifier.
• 21 November 2023: Malawi lost 0-1 to Tunisia in a World Cup qualifier.
• 23 March 2024: Malawi lost 0-4 to Kenya in a friendly match.
• 26 March 2024: Malawi lost 1-2 to Zambia in a friendly match.
• 6 June 2024: Malawi won 3-1 against São Tomé and Príncipe in a World Cup qualifier.
• 10 June 2024: Malawi lost 0-1 to Equatorial Guinea in a World Cup qualifier.

Coaching Staff

The team has a dedicated coaching staff to help the players perform their best.

Position	Name
Head Coach	Patrick Mabedi
1st Assistant coach	Deklerk Msakakuona
2nd Assistant coach	Eliya Kananji
Goalkeeping coach	Victor Mphande
Team manager	James Sangala
Fitness Coach	Peter Mgangira
Technical Adviser	Aubrey Nankhuni
Data Analyst	Lawrence Waya
Physiotherapist	Dexter Killi
Team Doctor	Dr. Levison Mwale
Kitmaster	Richard Justin Lado
Media Manager	Gomegzani Zakazaka
Chaplain	Chancy Gondwe
Assistant Technical Manager	Steve Madeira

Current Players

Here are the players currently in the Malawi national football squad. They were chosen for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches in November 2024.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of 14 November 2024.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	William Thole	(1998-10-02) 2 October 1998 (age 26)	7	0	Mighty Wanderers
	1GK	George Chikooka	(1997-04-04) 4 April 1997 (age 28)	5	0	Silver Strikers
	1GK	Richard Chimbamba	(1998-06-23) 23 June 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	2DF	Dennis Chembezi	(1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 28)	53	0	Black Leopards
	2DF	Charles Petro	(2001-02-08) 8 February 2001 (age 24)	31	0	Botoșani
	2DF	Gomezgani Chirwa	(1996-09-25) 25 September 1996 (age 28)	26	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	2DF	Nickson Mwase	(1997-02-20) 20 February 1997 (age 28)	16	0	Silver Strikers
	3MF	Alick Lungu	(2002-03-24) 24 March 2002 (age 23)	11	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	2DF	Nickson Nyasulu	(1998-03-03) 3 March 1998 (age 27)	6	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	2DF	McDonald Lameck	(1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 (age 26)	4	0	Silver Strikers
	2DF	Timothy Silwimba	(1999-05-05) 5 May 1999 (age 26)	2	0	Mighty Wanderers
	2DF	Maxwell Paipi	(2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Silver Strikers
	3MF	John Banda	(1993-08-20) 20 August 1993 (age 31)	96	7	Songo
	3MF	Chawanangwa Kawonga	(1995-01-05) 5 January 1995 (age 30)	30	4	Zanaco
	3MF	Lanjesi Nkhoma	(2002-05-27) 27 May 2002 (age 23)	19	4	Nyasa Big Bullets
	3MF	Lloyd Aaron	(2003-01-08) 8 January 2003 (age 22)	17	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	3MF	Patrick Mwaungulu	(2002-02-18) 18 February 2002 (age 23)	15	1	Nyasa Big Bullets
	3MF	Wisdom Mpinganjira	(2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 (age 22)	11	0	Mighty Wanderers
	3MF	Zebron Kalima	(2002-05-13) 13 May 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Silver Strikers
	3MF	Yankho Singo	(2000-04-01) 1 April 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Nyasa Big Bullets
	4FW	Gabadinho Mhango	(1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32)	71	17	Moroka Swallows
	4FW	Richard Mbulu	(1994-01-25) 25 January 1994 (age 31)	42	5	Costa do Sol
	4FW	Loyd Njaliwa	(1998-05-24) 24 May 1998 (age 27)	10	0	Costa do Sol
	4FW	Gaddie Chirwa	(1997-11-30) 30 November 1997 (age 27)	9	0	Mighty Wanderers
	4FW	Zeliat Nkhoma	(1993-10-22) 22 October 1993 (age 31)	3	1	Kamuzu Barracks

Team Records

These tables show the players who have played the most games and scored the most goals for Malawi.

Most Appearances

Top Goalscorers

Tournament History

FIFA World Cup

Malawi has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup. They have tried to qualify many times since 1978.

Africa Cup of Nations

Malawi has played in the Africa Cup of Nations three times:

• 1984: They played in the group stage but did not advance.
• 2010: They also played in the group stage.
• 2021: This was their best performance, reaching the Round of 16.

African Games

Malawi has participated in the football tournament at the African Games. They won a bronze medal in 1987.

Honours

Continental Awards

• Football at the African Games
  • Bronze medal (1): 1987

Regional Awards

• CECAFA Cup
  • Champions (3): 1978, 1979, 1988
  • Runners-up (3): 1975, 1984, 1989
  • Third place (3): 1977, 1980, 1985

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Malaui para niños