Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has asked newly appointed Malawi National Football Team, the Flames Coach Kalisto Pasuwa to guide the team to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals.
Fam president Fleetwood Haiya disclosed this Wednesday after the Zimbabwean mentor was unveiled as Flames coach at Mpira Village, Chiwembe Township, Blantyre after agreeing to a two-year contract.
“His number one target is to take us to 2027 Afcon finals. There are other targets that will help us build the team for Afcon. We have six matches remaining in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and we want to win at least three games,” Haiya said.
The Flames are fourth in Group L of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers with six points from four matches. Malawi are expected to face Namibia and Tunisia in the World Cup qualifiers next month.
But Haiya said Fam had not set targets for Pasuwa for upcoming Africa Nations Championship (Chan) qualifiers scheduled to start this month end.
“For Cosafa Cup, much as it is a developmental competition but let us win it in these two years,” he said.
Malawi finished second during the 2002 and 2003 Cosafa Cup. In 2023, the team finished fourth following 5-3 loss to South Africa on post-match penalties in the third-place playoff.
On his part, Pasuwa said he was ready for the challenge.
“I have been in these shoes before with Zimbabwe and we qualified to Afcon finals in 2017. It is my hope that if we work together, we can achieve the target of going to 2027 Afcon,” the former Warriors coach said.
The former Dynamos player and coach is expected to name his backroom staff soon. But reports suggest that he will include some of the local coaches in his backroom staff.
He said his goal was to create a strong team and culture that is built on trust and respect.
“I have been here for some years, and I know the culture and I know what Malawian players need and that gives me an advantage,” Pasuwa said.
Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) wrote Fam to proceed with the hiring of Pasuwa despite reports that the Council had earlier stopped the process.
But Council Chief Executive Officer Henry Kamata said Fam was at liberty to hire Pasuwa.
“Fam was advised to recruit a national coach for the Flames and conclude a contract between Fam and the coach,” Kamata said.
Pasuwa impressed as Flames interim coach after he led the team to a goal-less stalemate against Burundi in Ivory Coast and the 3-0 win over Burkina Faso at Bingu National Stadium in the 2025 Afcon qualifiers.
Sports analyst Parry Chinyama said Pasuwa can win the Cosafa Cup in two years. “We need to win Cosafa Cup before targeting Afcon qualification. I think the targets are realistic,” Chinyama said.
The Flames finished last in Group L of the Afcon qualifiers with four points from six matches. Meanwhile, the draw for the Chan play offs is expected to take place today in Cairo, Egypt.
Seven nations namely Malawi, Egypt, Gabon, Comoros, South Africa, Algeria and Gambia are fighting for two slots at this year’s Chan final.
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