Has Pasuwa finally named his strongest team?

Flames are at the Crossroads. The unforgiving crucible of international football, where dreams are forged in fire and shattered in seconds, The Flames stand at a precipice that could either consume them entirely or catapult them into unprecedented future. The narrative has been brutally consistent—a symphony of heartbreak punctuated by fleeting moments of brilliance that tantalize the soul before crushing it under the weight of reality.

The trolls have been relentless. From squad announcement to match day, the criticism follows Malawi’s national team like a shadow. But as the Flames prepare to face Namibia in Francistown this Friday, there’s something different in the air—a sense that Kalisto Pasuwa’s patience might finally be paying dividends.

It’s been a torturous journey since Pasuwa took over from Patrick Mabedi. The numbers don’t lie: one win in eight matches, five defeats, two draws. The World Cup dream died long ago in Group H, and the COSAFA Cup campaign was nothing short of disastrous—bottom of the group, outplayed by Namibia, Lesotho, and Angola.

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Yet beneath this carnage lies something far more dangerous—and far more promising—than mere failure. It’s the raw material of transformation.

The COSAFA Cup disaster—finishing rock bottom in a group containing Namibia, Lesotho, and Angola—wasn’t just a tactical failure; it was a brutal reckoning with mediocrity. But here’s where the story takes a seismic turn: FAM President Fleetwood Haiya’s audacious declaration that victory was never the objective sends shockwaves through conventional wisdom. “We didn’t go to South Africa to win the tournament,” he proclaimed with the confidence of a chess master sacrificing pawns for positional advantage.

While critics bay for blood and demand instant gratification, Pasuwa and the Football Association of Malawi have embarked on something infinitely more treacherous—and potentially revolutionary

Yes, here’s what separates this moment from previous false dawns: Pasuwa isn’t running from the reality. He’s embracing it.

Post-Cosafa press: Every word from Kalisto Pasuwa

“We have been in our journey, we have played CHAN, and we went also to play Cosafa in our games which we were playing,” Pasuwa said after returning from that painful COSAFA experience.

“As coaches, we are very professional enough, we were trying to build a team as you know that we are building a team that will qualify for AFCON 2027.”

The 2027 target isn’t just rhetoric. It’s a calculated risk that FAM President Fleetwood Haiya has backed with cold, hard logic. “We didn’t go to South Africa to win the tournament,” Haiya declared about the COSAFA Cup. “Our main target was to give a chance to young talent as we embark on building a new team for the future.”

This isn’t the usual damage control from a football association. This is strategy—brutal, long-term, and potentially revolutionary.

Pasuwa’s latest squad selection tells the real story. Gone are the familiar names: Richard Chimbamba, Zebron Kalima, Ephraim Kondowe, Precious Sambani, Gaddie Chirwa, John Banda, even Nixon Mwase. In come fresh faces: Washali Jaziya, Emmanuel Nyirenda, Robert Saizi, Blessings Singini, and the intriguing Mayele Malango from America.

The coach knows what he’s doing. When critics questioned his previous selection for COSAFA, he was candid: “Unfortunately, I wasn’t around, we are now that we could meet and explain the squad.”

Now, with full control and better preparation, his choices reflect a clearer vision.”So when building a team there is a time where you go maybe through this where you want to see each and every player playing in the National Team,” Pasuwa explained.

Every word of Kalisto Pasuwa ahead of trip to Botswana to face Namibia

“One area which we should have to know at a time when you are building a team you also look at age. Yes, we know that outside there you need instant results, and think that if we take an experienced players we can get results. But we should take into our minds that we need youngsters who can be the next future players of our national team.”

The atmosphere in camp suggests something has shifted. Pasuwa has done something previous coaches struggled with—he’s gotten the senior players to buy into the vision.

Pasuwa’s most audacious gamble isn’t tactical—it’s psychological. By openly acknowledging the building process, he’s created a paradox: a team freed from the suffocating pressure of immediate success yet hungry for the validation that only victory can provide. It’s a high-wire act that could spectacularly implode or birth something magnificent.

“I sat down with the senior players, I sat down with the captain, and I told them that it’s not all about the coach—it starts from them as well,” Pasuwa revealed. “These are experienced players who have been playing football at a high level. In football, it is all about communication and doing things together.”

Gabadinho Mhango, the veteran striker who has carried Malawi’s hopes on his shoulders for years, can feel the difference. “I’m very happy to be back again. Thanks for another opportunity—I’m grateful, and I think everyone is ready to play for the national team,” Mhango said this week.

“I know we lost our previous games, but we can learn from those mistakes. This time we need to turn it around because we saw what our mistakes were and what was affecting us.”

The competition for places is fierce. William Thole has established himself as first-choice goalkeeper, with George Chikooka pushing hard. The defense presents headaches—Charles Petro and Alick Lungu are certainties, but selecting the other two from Macdonald Lameck, Gomezgani Chirwa, Emmanuel Nyirenda, and Dennis Chembezi won’t be easy.

Lloyd Aaron’s suspension opens opportunities in midfield, while the striking positions offer perhaps the toughest selection puzzle. Mhango remains the talisman, but Mayele Malango brings fresh options, and youngsters like Wisdom Mpinganjira and Chikumbutso Salima are knocking hard on the door.

“Yeah, tough times can be there in terms of team selection, but remember, we have got a team which we were using, so we can’t just dismantle the whole team,” Pasuwa admits. “We will add one or two players to the team which we had and then move on.”

The coach understands the delicate balance he must strike. “Remember, we have been talking about building a new team, so when building a team, sometimes you need results. Getting results will require us to acknowledge that we are out of the World Cup, but we need results to encourage the players that are coming into the team.”

Friday’s match in Francistown isn’t just another dead rubber in a failed World Cup campaign. It’s the beginning of something bigger—a test of whether Pasuwa’s patient revolution can start producing the performances that give substance to the vision.

With 16 foreign-based players making the trip to Botswana, the resources are there. The question is whether the chemistry, forged through months of careful planning and honest conversations, can translate into the kind of performance that makes believers out of skeptics.

Mhango certainly thinks so. “As a team, I can tell the boys are not scared and everyone is ready to play. So we’re good to go.”

The trolls will be watching. They always are. But for the first time in months, Pasuwa and his players seem ready to give them something positive to talk about.