Former Flames coach Kinnah Phiri believes Malawi can repeat the famous 1-0 victory over Egypt when the two sides meet in back-to-back TotalEnergies 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers this month.
The Flames face the Pharaohs in Cairo on November 13 before hosting them at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on November 17, with Kinnah backing the current generation to produce another memorable result.
Malawi’s historic victory over the seven-time Afcon champions came on June 14 2008 when substitute Chiukepo Msowoya struck in stoppage time to hand the hosts a famous win at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
The result ended Egypt’s unbeaten run in the qualifying campaign and remains one of the most memorable moments in Malawi football.
| Courtesy of FAM
Since that victory, the two sides have met six times, with Malawi losing five and drawing once.
Their latest meeting was in March 2023 in a Afcon qualifier which the Pharaohs won 4-0 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
However, Kinnah, who is currently Flames technical advisor, believes history can repeat itself if the players approach the assignments with the right mentality.
“All we need is self-belief and team spirit. The players also need to overcome the fear of playing big teams,” said Kinnah.
He said the current Egypt squad is not as formidable as the side Malawi faced in 2008, giving the Flames reason to believe they can compete against the North Africans.
“We managed to beat Egypt when they were Afcon defending champions and when they had a squad full of star players.
“When I look at Egypt’s current squad, I don’t think it is as strong as the one we defeated.”
Egypt’s recent results have also offered Malawi some encouragement, with the Pharaohs being held to a goalless draw by Angola in their opening Group B qualifier at home.
Kinnah, however, also emphasised discipline, saying the players must remain organised, focused and committed to their tactical responsibilities throughout the two encounters.
“The Flames side that defeated Egypt had discipline and unity. The discipline played a big role in achieving our goals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Flames coach Kallisto Pasuwa has named a 24-man squad for the double-header, making four additions to the herd.
The squad has 15 foreign-based players while nine are drawn from domestic clubs.
The new faces are FCB Nyasa Bullets goalkeeper Innocent Nyasulu Thole, Zimbabwe-based Scotland FC defender Nickson Nyasulu, Sudan-based Al-Merrikh midfielder Chikumbutso Salima and forward Lanjesi Nkhoma of Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe.
Nkhoma returns to the national team fold after missing Pasuwa’s previous three call-ups while Salima has also earned a recall after missing the October qualifiers due to injury.
Pasuwa has dropped four players, namely first choice goalkeeper William Thole due to lack of game time at Zimbabwean club Simba Bhora while Mayele Malango is also unavailable because his American club Sacramento Republic FC is involved in the Western Conference semi-finals of the 2026 USL Championship play-offs.
Mighty Wanderers’ Blessinsg Singini and Iraq-based defender Denis Chembezi have also been dropped.
Football analyst Twaha Chimuka in an interview said Pasuwa’s squad reflects the players available for selection.
He said unlike Kinnah, who was spoilt of choice, Pasuwa does not have that pleasure.
Chimuka also justified the changes to the squad, saying the coach had no choice.
“If you look at the goalkeeping department, Thole is not playing in Zimbabwe. I think now he has not played seven straight games.
“In defence, Chembezi is injured. His replacement Nixon Nyasulu, is also on and off at his club Scotland FC. It’s also not looking good at all,” he said.
Malawi’s Flames started their campaign with a 2-1 home victory over South Sudan before suffering a 3-1 defeat away to Angola.
Egypt and Angola tie on four points with the Pharaohs leading the table on goal difference while the Flames, who have three points, are third.
South Sudan anchor the table.
