Rachael Kaphaizi
Malawi National team head coach Kalisto Pasuwa says Malawi’s provisional squad for the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Sudan and Angola has been selected after extensive monitoring of players at their respective clubs.
Pasuwa has named a 31-member squad, including several new faces from clubs in Asia, Europe, North America and the United States, as he continues to shape his team ahead of the crucial qualifiers.
The coach says his technical team spent about a month monitoring players, engaging their club coaches and assessing the number of minutes they were getting before making the final selections.
“We went out of this country for a month, if I’m not mistaken. We were tagging players in their clubs. We were talking to the coaches, and in some of the games we were watching them,” said Pasuwa.
He said game time was an important consideration, particularly as some players were getting limited minutes at their clubs.
Pasuwa cited defender Nickson Nyasulu as an example, saying the player was left out after moving to another club and only featuring in a Champions League match last week.
“So we have been monitoring them, where they are playing, whether they are having game time, the minutes that they are using and we did put it into consideration,” he said.
The squad includes first time call-ups such as Shaquille Gwengwe of Newport County in England, Jordan Kananga of Zacatepec FC in Mexico and Blessings Kanowa of Nankatsu SC in Japan. Kanowa’s teammate Washali Jaziya has also been included.
Former Silver Strikers striker Adiel Kaduya, who is currently studying in the United States, has also been called up for the first time, while locally based Peter Ng’ambi, Ajusa Kalowa and Precious Masamba are among the new inclusions.
Beyond performances and game time, Pasuwa has also underlined the importance of discipline within the national team setup, although he declined to discuss specific disciplinary matters publicly.
“Discipline is important because when you come to the national team, you represent more than just yourself. We are representing Malawi”, said Pasuwa.
Malawi will host South Sudan on 25 September before travelling to Angola 10 days later for their second Group B fixture.
The Flames will regroup in Lilongwe on 21 September to begin preparations for the two matches.
The squad is as follows;
Goalkeepers: William Thole, George Chikooka and Precious Masamba.
Defenders: Macdonald Rameck, Gomegzani Chirwa, Dennis Chembezi, Emmanuel Nyirenda, Charles Petro, Blessings Mpokera, Peter Ng’ambi and Ajussa Kalowa.
Midfielders: Blessings Kanowa, Yankho Singo, Oscar Petro, Washali Jaziya, Blessings Singini, Lloyd Njaliwa, Mwisho Mhango, Festus Duwe, Fransisco Madinga and Jorden Kananga.
Forwards: Babatunde Adepoju, Ephraim Kondowe, Chifundo Mpasi, Richard Mbulu, Patrick Mwaungulu, Gaddie Chirwa, Wisedinho Mpinganjira, Mayele Malango, Shaquille Gwengwe and Adiel Kaduya.
