Malawi and Lesotho will on June 5 rekindle their enmity when they clash in the 2025 Cosafa Cup Group B opener at the Toyota Stadium in South Africa.
There will be no love lost between the two sides meeting in a repeat of the 2023 semi-final in which the Flames’ dream of reaching the final were extinguished by Lesotho’s Likunea after losing 3-0 on post-match penalties.
During the tournament, Malawi recorded a 100% record in group stage with wins over Zambia (1-0), Seychelles (2-0) and Comoros (2-0) to finish top of their group and qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 21 years.
But a disappointing display in the shootouts saw the Flames miss all their spotkicks.
After missing last edition of the tournament following the death of vice-president Saulos Chilima in a plane clash, the Flames are now poised to make a return.
Flames assistant coach Peter Mponda said they are looking forward to the trip.
He said: “We will pick up from where they left in African Nations Championship (Chan) where they lost 2-0 to South Africa in the second leg to bow out of the competition.”
“If you look at our team, the way we played against South Africa at Bingu National Stadium which we won 1-0, we were very solid defensively and going forward.
“In South Africa, defensively, we were nowhere near our best. We let in goals which could have beed avoided.
“Going forward, we didn’t take our chances. We didn’t create enough chances, but in midfield, we dominated.
“So far, the team is in good shape. If we look at where we’re coming from, we are very happy with the progress which the team is making.”
The competition will get underway on June 4 with a fixture between Zimbabwe and Mauritius in Group A at the same venue.
The group stage will wrap up on June 11 with the winners from the four groups qualifying for the final.
