From winning Cosafa, to exposing players: Malawi bow out with zero wins, zero goals

The dust is still settling in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and for the Malawi national football team, the Flames, the 2025 HollywoodBets COSAFA Cup has concluded in a frustrating manner: an early exit from the group stages.

This outcome stands in stark contrast to the promise that seemed to precede their departure, and more strikingly, to their impressive showing in the 2023 edition of the tournament.

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The narrative surrounding the Flames’ participation has taken a perplexing turn, highlighting a potential disconnect between stated ambitions and on-field realities, and raising questions about the very philosophy guiding the team.

Led by Zimbabwean tactician Kalisto Pasuwa, the Flames arrived in Bloemfontein with a squad that, on paper, appeared capable of challenging for regional honors.

Assistant coach Peter Mponda, prior to the tournament, unequivocally declared their intent: “We are going for nothing but to win the title and bring the cup home to Mpira Village.”

This statement was delivered despite the notable omissions of key defenders Nickson Mwase and Alick Lungu, and midfielder Lloyd Aaron – players who, by Mponda’s later admission, are considered “tried and tested” and “good and big players for a tournament like COSAFA.”

The optimistic pronouncements quickly evaporated with their opening match, a painful 1-0 defeat to Lesotho, extending Malawi’s winless streak against their southern African counterparts to six games.

This was followed by a goalless stalemate against Namibia, and another 1-0 defeat to Angola effectively sealing their fate. The stark reality of their performance painted a bleak picture, a far cry from the team that, under Patrick Mabedi in 2023, swept through their group matches before narrowly losing to Lesotho in the semifinals and then to hosts South Africa in the plate section final on penalties.

The shifting sands of strategy: From winning to exposure

What truly raises eyebrows, however, is the sudden and dramatic shift in the technical panel’s narrative after the initial setback. Coach Mponda, in broad daylight, altered his language.

The initial pursuit of the COSAFA Cup title morphed into a mission of “exposing players to scouts and other teams in countries with better leagues.”

He went on to explicitly state that had the team been solely focused on results and clinching the title, they would have brought “experienced players on board.”

“We want to expose many players and give chances to those who are here,” Mponda clarified, adding, “We left a lot of good players back home.

“If we were only focused on getting instant results, we would have brought them. But we are using this tournament to prepare and give everyone a fair opportunity — so that come AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, we have depth and experience across the squad.”

This sudden pivot from “winning the title” to “exposing players” has left many football enthusiasts and analysts scratching their heads. While player development and exposure are undeniably crucial aspects of national team building, to declare a clear winning objective before a tournament, only to retract it and offer a developmental rationale after an early exit, smacks of reactive justification rather than a pre-defined strategy.

It suggests either a miscalculation in squad selection, a lack of conviction in the chosen approach, or a desperate attempt to mitigate the disappointment of another premature departure.

A Look Back: The 2023 COSAFA Cup Performance

To truly understand the depth of this year’s disappointment, a brief analysis of the Flames’ 2023 COSAFA Cup campaign is essential. Under Patrick Mabedi, the team exhibited a cohesion and attacking verve that had been largely absent in recent years.

Malawi’s 2023 COSAFA Cup Group Stage Statistics:

Played: 3, Wins: 3, Draws: 0, Losses: 0, Goals Scored: 5, Goals Conceded: 0, Points: 9 (Topped their group)

Their perfect group stage record, including a victory over formidable opponents like Zambia, showcased a team that was not only competitive but also disciplined in defense. The semifinal loss to Lesotho on penalties, while painful, was a testament to their fighting spirit, and the subsequent defeat to South Africa in the plate final, also on penalties, further underlined their competitive nature.

The 2023 squad, despite ultimately not lifting silverware, demonstrated a clear pathway towards improvement and genuine contention.

Comparing the two tournaments, the contrast is stark. The 2025 Flames, despite the presence of many promising talents such as Wisdom Mpinganjira, Chikumbutso Salima, Wongani Lungu lacked the cutting edge in attack seen in 2023.

Following the defeat to Angola, Malawi have finished bottom of the table, with just one point from three games and they have scored zero goals for the first time since 2017.

The inability to score a single goal in three matches, coupled with the loss to a historically challenging opponent like Lesotho, highlights significant deficiencies.

While the intent to “expose players” is commendable, the execution appears to have come at the direct expense of performance and results in a tournament where, just two years prior, the team had shown immense progress.

The Pasuwa era: a call for consistency and accountability

The repeated cycle of changing coaches and yet facing similar outcomes necessitates a deeper introspection into the Flames’ long-term strategy.

Kalisto Pasuwa, with his decorated history at club level in Zimbabwe and Malawi brings a wealth of experience. However, the national team’s trajectory under his guidance, particularly after such a promising 2023 COSAFA Cup under Mabedi, will attract critics.

The question is not solely about the coach, but also about the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and their overarching vision. Is there a clear, consistent philosophy that transcends individual coaching appointments?

The contradictory statements from the technical bench – aiming to win versus aiming to expose – suggest a lack of unified direction.

Clear tournament Objectives: Before any tournament, the FAM and the technical panel must establish and communicate a clear, unwavering objective. If it is about development, acknowledge it upfront. If it’s about winning, then select a squad and strategy that prioritizes that goal.

Frequent changes in coaching staff disrupt continuity and long-term planning. While accountability is necessary, a more patient approach might be beneficial if a clear development pathway is established.

A fast-rising football analyst who is establishing himself as a household name in the football circles Twaha Chimuka believes that changing the technical panel without a proper plan has nothing good to improve the national team’s performance.

Chimuka’s remark comes as the team that went to COSAFA Cup in 2023 performed better than this year which raises eyebrows to the justification that coach Mabedi was fired because he lacked the necessary expertise and tactical and technical excellence to propel the team to glory.

“We expect the national team to produce instant results but good results are a result of good preparations. The team that played in 2023 are different from the ones that played this year when the 2023 squad which comprised youngsters including Robert Saizi, Chifundo Mphasi, Chrispin Mapemba who believed to be the future stars of the team are no where near the squad which is against continuation.

“We cannot downplay building in football as the game has no shortcuts. The games bring different players,” he explained.

He then said the technical panel’s twist of language is inspired by pressure and shame because if the team went out to expose players, it would have taken irregular players and those that have never had a chance to play for the team.

“The team went to COSAFA to win the title, it is only because of poor performance that they have changed their statement. If they were there to expose players why George Chikooka, Wisdom Mpinganjira, Yankho Singo, McDonald Lameck, and Wongani Lungu among others featured at the tournament while they also play for the senior in the CHAN qualifiers playoffs and World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying games, aren’t they exposed enough.

“Exposing players would mean getting the likes of Fanizo Mwansambo, Oscar Petro, Festus Duwe and Khumbo Banda to play. Those are the ones who need exposure,” Chimuka shared.

Chimuka emphasized that administrators take every underperformance of the national team as a chance to campaign for positions hence sees it as a chance to put their people in the roles that will server them better, disregarding the importance of having a team that will perform to win trophies or at least be a source of pride among the Malawian citizens who are undoubtedly in love with the beautiful sport that but does not reciprocate.

The Flames under Patrick Mabedi played 16 games in all competitions, won 5 in regulation time, drew 5 and lost 6. The team scored 16 goals and conceded 19.

Under the current technical panel, Malawi have played 11 games, won four, lost five and drew twice.

Speaking of the tournament, Mponda said it has been a good tournament in terms of exposing players to understand what playing against other countries is like and that gives them a good stance as they are just building a team for the future.

“It was a good tournament more especially we are building a new team, we are still building, it gives us a feeling of how it is out there, it also gave exposure to the young ones who are up-and-coming,” explained Mponda.

However, Mponda lamented that despite the team playing good football, it is worrisome that it is not utilising enough chances they are creating which makes the results more painful as the team have been punished by the slightest chances its opponents got at the tournament.