Pasuwa demands mental strength as Flames face São Tomé test

Head Coach Kalisto Pasuwa has warned his players against complacency as the Flames prepare to face São Tomé and Príncipe in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, insisting that mental readiness will be crucial to securing a positive result in North Africa.

The Flames currently sit fourth in Group H with 13 points but could finish the qualifiers with 16 points and climb to second place if they beat São Tomé and results elsewhere go their way—specifically if Namibia lose to Tunisia and Liberia fall to Equatorial Guinea.

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Malawi boast a full squad for the encounter, with Pasuwa’s charges determined to end their qualifying campaign on a high note despite the challenges posed by disrupted preparation and the need to guard against underestimating their opponents.

Speaking ahead of Monday’s encounter at the Stade Olympique de Sousse in Tunisia, where São Tomé have chosen to host the fixture, Pasuwa revealed his concerns about his team’s preparation and mindset going into the crucial Group H clash.

“This is a very important game indeed. My main worry in this game is, remember we were supposed to play against Equatorial Guinea and we didn’t play. Then we had to travel for two days, and we just had our first training on Sunday, a day before our match day,” said the experienced tactician.

Video Sessions to Address Attitude Concerns

Pasuwa disclosed that the technical team held pre-training video sessions with players to address concerns about attitude and readiness, emphasizing that mental preparation would be as important as physical readiness.

“That’s a game where we need to work with the mentality of the boys—it’s not going to be easy. It’s a team which lost 6-0 against Tunisia, and I remember when we played against them in Malawi, we won 3-1. It’s in the minds of everyone that this team can be easy, but I’m telling you, no one wants to be beaten at home,” he cautioned.

The coach revealed that before the final training session, he took players through match footage to highlight where individual attitudes could undermine the team’s collective effort.

“We had to take them through the videos to say that the attitudes of some of the boys can easily tell us they’re not ready to start and not ready to be part of us,” Pasuwa stated candidly.

For Pasuwa, the key to success lies in team unity and positive approach on both ends of the pitch.

“In order for us to collect points, we need to be positive in whatever we do. We must not underrate them—let’s go and play football. We defend as a team, we attack as a team, and we need everything to be positive for us to pull out a positive result,” he emphasized.

The Flames boss acknowledged that while São Tomé’s defensive record suggests opportunities exist, execution and timing would determine the outcome.

“Yes, we can take advantage of São Tomé’s defensive record, but we need to do the right things at the right time, be in the right place at the right time. In order for us to have goals coming, we need to hit at goal, and when we are closing goal, we close goal as a team. We need to be positive,” Pasuwa concluded.