Africa-Press – Namibia. MALAWI have been runners-up in two Cosafa Cup competitions, reaching the final for the first time in 2002 and the making the decider again the following year.
Although they were beaten in both legs of the finals by South Africa and Zimbabwe respectively, the Flames have shown they are a side to be reckoned with.
Malawi did beat past winners Angola and Zambia on their way to the final in 2002 and the next year disposed of Zambia again on penalties in the semifinals.
Malawi have a strong record in regional competition, having won the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup three times – in 1978, 1979 and 1988.
Now the landlocked country is part of Cosafa and has been eager participants in the Cosafa Cup, playing in all previous editions.
Malawi have also qualified for the African Nations Cup finals three before – in Cote d’Ivoire in 1984, Angola in 2010 and Cameroon in 2022, where they made the second round.
They lost on penalties to Zimbabwe in the quarterfinals of the Cosafa Cup in 2013 and were then beaten 3-2 by Angola in the Plate semifinals.
They were again beaten in the quarterfinals in 2015, this time by Mozambique, but would go on to lift the Plate competition as they defeated Zambia in the decider.
They did not make it out of the first round in 2016 in Namibia, though they claimed two wins in the group stage, and also exited in the first round in 2017 and 2018.
They finished top of their pool in 2019 but were unlucky losers via a penalty shoot-out against eventual winners Zambia in the quarterfinals. They made it all the way to the Plate Final but lost again on penalties to hosts South Africa.
Malawi did not make it out of the pool stages in 2021 as they drew two and lost two of their four games.
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