Malawi National Football Team Head Coach Kalisto Pasuwa says his squad is full of talent and depth as they prepare for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Pasuwa called up 26 players, including 16 foreign-based and 10 local-based players, who began preparations on Friday for the fixtures against Namibia in Francistown, Botswana, on Friday, 5th September, and Liberia at home on Monday, 8th September.
The coach praised the team’s intensity and tactical discipline during training.
“The intensity is good as the fitness is there because the league is on. Our training session today was perfect in terms of how we approached it tactically,” he said.
Pasuwa further highlighted the positive impact of the new additions:
“So far, so good — the new introductions are doing well. You can see the difference in how they are training.”
The coach also emphasized the leadership role of the senior players:
“I sat down with the captain and other senior guys. I told them it’s not always about the coach — it starts with them as experienced players.”
While acknowledging that team selection can be challenging, Pasuwa stressed continuity.
“Tough times for selecting players can be there, but we already have a team we were using. We can’t just dismantle that team; we will add one or two players and move on.”
The Flames are set to leave for Francistown on Wednesday via a chartered flight. Malawi currently sits 5th in Group H with 6 points after 6 games. Should they win all their remaining fixtures, they would finish on 18 points.
“So far, so good — the new introductions are doing well. You can see the difference.”
Kalisto Pasuwa
Flames Head Coach
