Frank Mojah Dzuwa
With three matches remaining in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, local football commentators are urging the Malawi national team, The Flames, to remain focused and composed rather than piling unnecessary pressure on themselves about qualification
The Flames currently occupy fifth place in Group H with 9 points from 7 matches. Tunisia lead the group with 19 points, while Namibia sit in third place.
Malawi will host Liberia today at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe before concluding their campaign with away fixtures to São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea in October.
Sports commentator Celphius Lingani believes the team must approach the remaining games with determination and brevity. He pointed out that winning the final three matches would improve the team’s overall standing and FIFA ranking, regardless of qualification outcomes.
“We shouldn’t create pressure for ourselves. Qualification issues will sort themselves out after all matches are played. What matters now is winning the games ahead of us. That can help our ranking and build confidence going forward,” said Lingani.
Another commentator, Frank Namakonje, stressed that qualification remains possible, albeit challenging. He identified Monday’s match against Liberia as crucial to keeping hopes alive.
“There’s still a chance, even if it’s small. We need to win on Monday and monitor how other teams perform. Our recent victory against Namibia gave us belief, but we must avoid dropping any more points,” Namakonje explained.
Parry Chinyama offered a more measured assessment, acknowledging the significant points gap between Malawi and the group’s leading teams while not entirely dismissing qualification hopes.
“To be honest, the chances are very slim. The teams ahead of us have more points, and it will be difficult to catch up. However, we can still perform well if we build on our last victory and approach every game seriously. Anything can happen in football,” Chinyama observed.
Group H Standings after 7 games each
- Tunisia 19 points
- Namibia 12 points
- Liberia 10 points
- Equatorial Guinea 10 points
- Malawi 9 points
- Sao Tome 0 points
