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Malawi national football team facts for kids

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Malawi
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 53 (December 1992)
Lowest 138 (December 2007, March 2008)
Elo ranking
Current 149 Decrease 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 (Chichewa: Timu ya dziko la Malawi) represents Malawi in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Malawi. Before 1966, it was known as the Nyasaland national football team.

Known as the Flames, Malawi has qualified for three Africa Cup of Nations, in 1984, 2010 and 2021. They also won the CECAFA Cup in 1978, 1979 and 1988 and finished fourth in the 2024 Four Nations Football Tournament.

History

Coaches

The first full-time coach of the Malawi national football team was Ron Meades. The British Council arranged for his appointment through the English Football Association to coach the team for the Republic Celebrations, playing Madagascar and Zambia. Ray Batchelor was coach for four years from 11 November 1967 to 10 October 1971, guiding the team in 23 friendly matches and two Olympic Games. Players during this time included future coaches in Henry Moyo, Brian Griffin, and Yasin Osman. Other coaches included Brazilian Wander Moreira, British Ted Powell, and the first locally-born coach, Alex Masanjala, who was appointed as an interim before Henry Moyo. Moyo was the first former national player to coach the Flames, and stayed in the position for five years. As of January 2019, only nine coaches had been in charge for more than 20 games. The most successful coaches were Powell, Moyo, and Kim Splidsboel (2000–2002) from Denmark.

Tournaments

Malawi first qualified for an African Cup of Nations in 1984, when only eight teams competed in the tournament in Ivory Coast. After a 3-0 defeat against Algeria, World Cup participants in 1982 and 1986, the Malawi drew 2-2 in the second game against eventual finalists Nigeria. With a 0–1 loss against Ghana, Malawi ended the group stage with 1 point at the bottom of the table and was eliminated from the tournament.

After 26 years, Malawi took part in an Africa Cup of Nations again in 2010. The team benefited from the fact that the continental elimination round for the 2010 FIFA World Cup also served as the qualifying round for AFCON. In the group matches of the third round, Malawi, third place behind Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and with a record of only four points and 4–11 goal difference, was enough to make it to the continental finals.

At the tournament in Angola, Kinnah Phiri's team caused a big surprise. In the first group game, Malawi defeated Algeria, which had qualified for the World Cup, 3-0. One of the goalscorers was striker Russel Mwafulirwa, who at the time was under contract for the Swedish first division club IFK Norrköping and was thus one of only two players in the 23-man squad active in Europe. Malawi lost the second game against hosts Angola, 2-0.

For Malawi to have reached the quarter-finals for the first time, a draw in the last group game would have been enough. However, the team lost 3-1 to Mali. After just three minutes, the Malawians were 2-0 down, a goal from Mwafulirwa did nothing to avert the team's elimination.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023

2024

Coaching staff

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

Coaching history

Caretaker coaches are listed in italics
  • Malawi Jack Chamangwana (1998–99)
  • Malawi Young Chimodzi (1999–00)
  • Denmark Kim Splidsboel (2000–02)
  • England Alan Gillett (2003)
  • Malawi Edington Ng'onamo (2003–04)
  • Malawi John Kaputa (2004)
  • Malawi Yassin Osman (2004–05)
  • England Michael Hennigan (2005)
  • Germany Burkhard Ziese (2005–06)
  • Malawi Kinnah Phiri (2006–07)
  • England Stephen Constantine (2007–08)
  • Malawi Kinnah Phiri (2009–12)
  • Malawi Edington Ng'onamo (2012–13)
  • Belgium Tom Saintfiet (2013)
  • Malawi Young Chimodzi (2014–15)
  • Malawi Ernest Mtawali (2015–16)
  • Burundi Ramadhan Nsanzurwimo (2016–17)
  • Malawi Gerald Phiri Sr. (2017)
  • Belgium Ronny Van Geneugden (2017–19)
  • Malawi Meke Mwase (2019–2021)
  • Romania Mario Marinică (2021–2023)
  • Malawi Patrick Mabedi (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against Burundi and Burkina Faso on 14 and 18 November 2024.

Caps and goals correct as of: 14 November 2024, after the match against Burundi.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK William Thole (1998-10-02) 2 October 1998 (age 26) 7 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers
1GK George Chikooka (1997-04-04) 4 April 1997 (age 27) 5 0 Malawi Silver Strikers
1GK Richard Chimbamba (1998-06-23) 23 June 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
2DF Dennis Chembezi (1997-01-15) 15 January 1997 (age 27) 53 0 South Africa Black Leopards
2DF Charles Petro (2001-02-08) 8 February 2001 (age 23) 31 0 Romania Botoșani
2DF Gomezgani Chirwa (1996-09-25) 25 September 1996 (age 28) 26 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
2DF Nickson Mwase (1997-02-20) 20 February 1997 (age 27) 16 0 Malawi Silver Strikers
3MF Alick Lungu (2002-03-24) 24 March 2002 (age 22) 11 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
2DF Nickson Nyasulu (1998-03-03) 3 March 1998 (age 26) 6 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
2DF McDonald Lameck (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Malawi Silver Strikers
2DF Timothy Silwimba (1999-05-05) 5 May 1999 (age 25) 2 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers
2DF Maxwell Paipi (2002-05-04) 4 May 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Malawi Silver Strikers
3MF John Banda (1993-08-20) 20 August 1993 (age 31) 96 7 Mozambique Songo
3MF Chawanangwa Kawonga (1995-01-05) 5 January 1995 (age 29) 30 4 Zambia Zanaco
3MF Lanjesi Nkhoma (2002-05-27) 27 May 2002 (age 22) 19 4 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
3MF Lloyd Aaron (2003-01-08) 8 January 2003 (age 21) 17 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
3MF Patrick Mwaungulu (2002-02-18) 18 February 2002 (age 22) 15 1 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
3MF Wisdom Mpinganjira (2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 (age 22) 11 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers
3MF Zebron Kalima (2002-05-13) 13 May 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Malawi Silver Strikers
3MF Yankho Singo (2000-04-01) 1 April 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets
4FW Gabadinho Mhango (1992-09-27) 27 September 1992 (age 32) 71 17 South Africa Moroka Swallows
4FW Richard Mbulu (1994-01-25) 25 January 1994 (age 30) 42 5 Mozambique Costa do Sol
4FW Loyd Njaliwa (1998-05-24) 24 May 1998 (age 26) 10 0 Mozambique Costa do Sol
4FW Gaddie Chirwa (1997-11-30) 30 November 1997 (age 27) 9 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers
4FW Zeliat Nkhoma (1993-10-22) 22 October 1993 (age 31) 3 1 Malawi Kamuzu Barracks

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up in 12 months preceding the above draft.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Brighton Munthali (1997-12-11) 11 December 1997 (age 27) 37 0 Malawi Blue Eagles v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
GK Innocent Nyasulu (1997-04-16) 16 April 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Malawi Mighty Tigers v.  Burkina Faso; 10 September 2024
GK Austin Chirambo (2003-12-31) 31 December 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
DF Stanley Sanudi (1995-02-02) 2 February 1995 (age 29) 93 1 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
DF Lawrence Chaziya (1998-08-19) 19 August 1998 (age 26) 17 2 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
DF Yamikani Mologeni (2002-10-22) 22 October 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
DF Precious Sambani (1998-05-21) 21 May 1998 (age 26) 29 1 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Senegal; 11 October 2024PRE
DF Blessings Mpokera (2002-04-02) 2 April 2002 (age 22) 2 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Equatorial Guinea; 10 June 2024
DF Alex Kambilinya 0 0 Malawi Wakawaka Tigers v.  Equatorial Guinea; 10 June 2024
DF Daniel Chimbalanga (1999-01-19) 19 January 1999 (age 25) 3 0 Malawi MAFCO v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
DF Joseph Balakasi (2002-04-12) 12 April 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Malawi Dedza Dynamos v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
DF Chimwemwe Nkhoma 0 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
MF Chimwemwe Idana (1998-09-07) 7 September 1998 (age 26) 57 0 Malawi Silver Strikers v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
MF Robert Saizi (2003-07-05) 5 July 2003 (age 21) 12 1 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Senegal; 15 October 2024
MF Chifundo Mphasi (2004-10-17) 17 October 2004 (age 20) 15 2 Zambia Shamuel v.  Senegal; 11 October 2024PRE
MF Patrick Macheso (1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 (age 27) 2 0 Malawi Silver Strikers v.  Burkina Faso; 10 September 2024
MF Wongani Lungu (2002-03-09) 9 March 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Malawi Ekwendeni Hammers v.  Burkina Faso; 10 September 2024
MF Crispin Mapemba (2004-11-09) 9 November 2004 (age 20) 2 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Equatorial Guinea; 10 June 2024
MF Francisco Madinga (2000-02-11) 11 February 2000 (age 24) 14 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
FW Christopher Kumwembe (1997-01-21) 21 January 1997 (age 27) 9 1 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Equatorial Guinea; 10 June 2024
FW Ephraim Kondowe (2002-01-02) 2 January 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Malawi Nyasa Big Bullets v.  Equatorial Guinea; 10 June 2024
FW Olson Kanjira (1995-03-29) 29 March 1995 (age 29) 2 0 Malawi Kamuzu Barracks v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024
FW Clement Nyondo (1998-08-08) 8 August 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Malawi Mighty Wanderers v.  Zambia; 26 March 2024

Records

Players in bold are still active with Malawi.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Young Chimodzi 159 13 1979–1995
2 Jack Chamangwana 133 10 1975–1985
3 Lawrence Waya 129 28 1982–1996
4 Harry Waya 126 8 1977–1987
5 Kinnah Phiri 117 71 1973–1981
6 Gilbert Chirwa 112 4 1981–1993
7 Jonathan Billie 110 8 1978–1987
8 Joseph Kamwendo 104 6 2003–2017
9 Felix Nyirongo 103 2 1986–1997
10 Peter Mponda 102 1 1998–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Kinnah Phiri 71 117 0.61 1973–1981
2 Frank Sinalo 28 75 0.37 1981–1989
Lawrence Waya 28 129 0.22 1982–1996
4 Stock Dandize 23 70 0.33 1977–1983
5 Yasin Osman 22 67 0.33 1966–1975
Essau Kanyenda 22 72 0.31 1999–2015
Chiukepo Msowoya 22 89 0.25 2006–2023
8 Peterkins Kayira 18 68 0.26 1983–1989
Gabadinho Mhango 18 72 0.25 2012–present
10 Barnet Gondwe 17 66 0.26 1976–1981

Competition records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
England 1966 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Mexico 1970 Did not enter Did not enter
West Germany 1974
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 5
Spain 1982 2 0 1 1 1 4
Mexico 1986 4 2 0 2 5 2
Italy 1990 8 2 3 3 6 6
United States 1994 Withdrew Withdrew
France 1998 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 4
South Korea Japan 2002 8 1 2 5 6 12
Germany 2006 12 2 4 6 15 27
South Africa 2010 12 5 1 6 18 16
Brazil 2014 6 1 4 1 4 5
Russia 2018 2 1 0 1 1 2
Qatar 2022 8 2 1 5 3 12
United States Canada Mexico 2026 To be determined 4 2 0 2 4 3
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/14 70 18 16 36 63 98

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
Tunisia 1965 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Cameroon 1972
Egypt 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Ethiopia 1976 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 4 9
Ghana 1978 2 0 1 1 3 4
Nigeria 1980 4 1 0 3 6 7
Libya 1982 2 0 1 1 1 2
Ivory Coast 1984 Group stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 4 3 1 0 6 2
Egypt 1986 Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
Morocco 1988 2 0 0 2 1 4
Algeria 1990 4 1 2 1 5 4
Senegal 1992 4 0 1 3 3 9
Tunisia 1994 6 2 1 3 4 7
South Africa 1996 6 1 3 2 6 7
Burkina Faso 1998 6 3 0 3 9 10
Ghana Nigeria 2000 2 1 0 1 2 2
Mali 2002 2 0 0 2 2 5
Tunisia 2004 4 1 0 3 3 10
Egypt 2006 12 2 4 6 15 27
Ghana 2008 4 1 0 3 2 6
Angola 2010 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 4 5 Squad 6 4 0 2 14 5
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Did not qualify 8 2 6 0 13 8
South Africa 2013 4 1 0 3 4 6
Equatorial Guinea 2015 6 2 1 3 5 9
Gabon 2017 6 2 1 3 5 9
Egypt 2019 6 1 2 3 2 6
Cameroon 2021 Round of 16 13th 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad 6 3 1 2 4 5
Ivory Coast 2023 Did not qualify 6 1 2 3 4 10
Morocco 2025 To be determined To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
2029
Total Round of 16 3/34 10 2 2 6 9 15 116 32 30 54 125 175

African Games

Year Result Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965 Did not qualify
Nigeria 1973 Did not qualify
Algeria 1978 4th 5 0 0 5 2 11
Kenya 1987 3rd 5 3 1 1 8 4
Total 2/4 10 3 1 6 10 15

Head-to-head record

As of 18 November 2024 after match against  Burkina Faso

      More wins than losses       As many wins as losses       Fewer wins than losses

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria 7 2 1 4 6 13 −7
 Angola 9 3 3 3 8 10 −2
 Bangladesh 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Benin 2 1 0 1 1 1 0
 Botswana 25 12 8 5 47 21 +26
 Burkina Faso 8 1 2 5 8 13 −5
 Burundi 5 0 3 2 6 9 −3
 Cameroon 11 1 4 6 6 19 −13
 Chad 6 3 1 2 15 10 +5
 Comoros 5 4 0 1 7 3 +4
 Congo 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
 Djibouti 4 4 0 0 17 1 +16
 DR Congo 10 3 3 4 8 9 −1
 Egypt 12 3 2 7 8 20 −12
 Eritrea 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Eswatini 28 11 12 5 41 22 +19
 Ethiopia 14 4 7 3 13 14 –1
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 0 1 0 1 –1
 Gabon 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Ghana 6 0 1 5 0 17 −17
 Guinea 10 1 4 5 9 14 −5
 Ivory Coast 8 1 1 6 8 17 −9
 Kenya 48 19 18 11 61 50 +11
 Lesotho 23 13 6 4 46 16 +30
 Liberia 4 1 1 2 1 2 −1
 Libya 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2
 Madagascar 10 2 1 7 12 21 −9
 Mali 5 1 1 3 5 8 −3
 Mauritius 21 12 5 4 33 19 +14
 Morocco 11 1 3 7 4 17 −13
 Mozambique 37 13 14 10 37 34 +3
 Namibia 16 4 4 8 16 21 −5
 Nigeria 8 0 2 6 9 20 −11
 Réunion 1 1 0 0 8 2 +6
 Rwanda 9 5 2 2 16 9 +7
 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2
 Senegal 7 1 1 5 6 14 −8
 Seychelles 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5
 Sierra Leone 4 3 1 0 14 5 +9
 Somalia 3 3 0 0 6 2 +4
 South Africa 14 1 4 9 5 20 −15
 South Sudan 3 2 0 1 2 2 0
 Sudan 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5
 Tanzania 56 17 25 14 62 54 +8
 Togo 3 2 1 0 3 1 +2
 Tunisia 8 2 3 3 8 17 −9
 Uganda 32 9 9 14 33 39 −6
 Yemen 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Zambia 82 20 17 45 70 173 −103
 Zanzibar 15 12 2 1 34 10 +24
 Zimbabwe 67 19 23 25 64 85 −21
Total 673 224 198 251 787 869 −82

Honours

Continental

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

Regional

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

See also

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