FRANCIS TOWN-(MaraviPost)-Malawi’s national football team, the Flames, ended their campaign at the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament on a low, finishing bottom after a 1-0 defeat to hosts Botswana in the third place playoff at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown on Tuesday, March 31,2026.
The Flames had opened the tournament with a 9-8 loss on penalties to Zambia following a goalless draw in regulation time, highlighting early struggles in front of goal.
Against Botswana, Malawi again failed to score during the 90 minutes, leaving the team without a single goal in both tournament matches.
Despite entering the playoff hoping to restore pride, the Flames were edged out by a strong Botswana side, confirming their disappointing bottom place finish.
Head coach for Flames Kalisto Pasuwa said the team showed improvement compared to the Zambia game but admitted finishing remains the team’s biggest challenge.
Pasuwa added that the tournament was a valuable platform to assess both local and professional players and to experiment with squad combinations ahead of 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
Flames technical advisor Kinnah Phiri stressed that the team is still building cohesion and consistency, but expressed confidence that the finishing problems will be resolved in time for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The tournament has exposed clear weaknesses in attack, which the technical panel says must be addressed urgently if Malawi hopes to compete effectively in upcoming fixtures.
