Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it is still waiting for confirmation from the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) on dates for the 2026 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup.
According to Cosafa’s 2026 calendar, the regional tournament is slated for late this month and early June, but FAM says official dates are yet to be communicated.
FAM operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka said preparations for the Flames depend on the confirmation from the regional football governing body.
He said: “As of now, what we know is that the tournament will be held between later this month and early June.
“Our preparations will depend on Cosafa confirming the actual dates for the competition.”
Zakazaka said FAM expects clarity on the tournament during the 2026 Cosafa annual general meeting scheduled for this weekend in South Africa.
The Flames will be hoping for an improved performance after a disappointing outing at the 2025 Cosafa Cup in South Africa.
During last year’s tournament, Malawi finished bottom of their group with just one point after suffering 1-0 defeats to Lesotho and Angola, before drawing against Namibia. The Flames also failed to score a single goal during the competition.
The Flames will be returning to action after a disappointing performance at Mukuru Four Nations Tourney in Botswana.
Kallisto Pasuwa’s charges lost to Zambia in the semi-finals through post-match penalties and went on to lose the third place play offs-to the hosts 1-0.
Soccer analyst Charles Nyirenda in an interview called on Pasuwa to utilise the tournament to prepare for 2027 Africa Cup of Nation (Afcon) qualifiers which kick-off October.
He said: “After what happened at the Four-Nations Tourney, this is yet another opportunity for Pasuwa to try new players as he prepares for the Afcon qualifiers.”
