Malawi National Football Team has been drawn in a tough Group B of 2025 HollywoodBets Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup alongside defending champions Angola, 2015 champions Namibia and 2023 finalists Lesotho.
The regional showpiece will run from June 4 to 15 in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Group A has hosts South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Mozambique Mambas, Mauritius’ Club M and Zimbabwe Warriors.
With 14 teams are participating in the regional competition, the other groups have three teams each.
Group C has first-time guests Morocco alongside Madagascar and E-swatini.
Seven-time champions Zambia’s Chipolopolo have been drawn in Group D with Comoros and Botswana.
The top team in each pool advances to the semi-finals, with the winner of Group A facingthe top side in Group D, and the leading team in Group B up against the top team in Group C.
Reacting to the draw, Flames assistant coach Peter Mponda described it as “fair but competitive”.
He said: “All teams in the group are very good, very strong. If you look at Namibia, Lesotho, Angola, they have teams which are playing very well.
“It gives a chance to all the four teams in the group that they can qualify to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka in an interview yesterday said following the draw, the association’s technical subcommittee will meet to plan for preparations.
The tournament will mark its debut in Mangaung and will be hosted at the Free State Stadium, which was among the 2010 Fifa World Cup venues and the Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium.
Malawi will be returning to the competition after missing the last edition as the country was in mourning period following the death of vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others in a military plane crash in Nthungwa, Viphya Plantations in Nkhata Bay.
In 2023, Malawi, under Patrick Mabedi, qualified for the Cosafa Cup semi-finals for the first time in 21 years.
The Flames then lost to Lesotho on post-match penalties in the semis and again 5-3 against South Africa on post-match penalties in third-place play-off.
On the other hand, Angola defeated Namibia 5-0 in the 2024 edition final to lift the trophy for the first time in 20 years.
