Flames face Zambia in Cosafa opener

Malawi’s Flames will start their 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup campaign against defending champions Zambia’s Chipolopolo on July 6 at King Zwelithini Stadium in Durban, South Africa.

Council for Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) released the fixtures yesterday which indicate that most of the matches will be played at the King Zwelithini Stadium, including the final on July 16.

E-swatini and Botswana will have the honour of kicking off the tournament before hosts South Africa and last edition’s runners-up Namibia clash in Group A encounters at the venue on July 5.

Malawi’s second match in Group B will be against Seychelles on July 9 at King Zwelithini Stadium in the evening.

The Flames will wrap up the group stage against islanders Comoros on July 11 at Chatsworth Stadium.

The 2023 edition will be held under a new format in which all teams will start from group stages. There will be no Plate Section.

Under the new format, 12 teams taking part have been split into three groups of four sides, with the three pool winners and the best runner-up advancing to the semi-finals.

The pool games will be played from July 5 to 12 with the semi-finals scheduled for July 14 while the final and third-place play-off will be staged two days later.

Last year, the Flames the under fired Mario Marinica, only managed a 1-0 win against a Mauritius second-string side, a 1-1 draw against e-Swatini and a 2-1 loss to Lesotho, to bow out in the group stage.

This year, the Flames will be under Patrick Mabedi who was Marinica’s assistant at the last edition.

But before the Cosafa Cup, Mabedi is expected to lead the Flames in the last, but one 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia in Maputo, Mozambique on June 20.

Meanwhile, Flames local-based players on Wednesday morning concluded the pre-camp in preparation for the match.

Mabedi said he will release his squad for the Mozambique trip on Monday morning prior to the team’s departure in the afternoon.

The former Kaizer Chiefs captain said he was impressed with the players’ response during the training.

He said: “Our preparations have been good so far. We had a few players who had knocks, but we managed to rehabilitate them and they are now okay.

“The squad is good and the boys are putting in more energy and effort.”