Maxwell Gasten Phodo
* Along with Mitundu Baptist’s NBS Bank National Division League (NDL) Top Scorer & Player of the Season, Raheem Mtondera
* Only five considered from 2025 Men’s Best XI; Dalitso Khungwa, Emmanuel Nyirenda, Blessings Singini (Mighty Wanderers), Uchizi Vunga and McDonald Lameck (Silver Strikers)
By Duncan Mlanjira
Selection into the men’s national football team, the Flames, is not about one-off best performance as evidenced by the exclusion of some outstanding players by coach Kalisto Pasuwa’s squad for the Botswana 4-Nations Tournament, despite earning recognition at the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Annual Awards 2022 on Friday.
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These include Nyasa Bug Bullets Castel Challenge Cup 2025 Golden Boot winner & Player of the Tournament, Maxwell Gasten Phodo, who is also not in the 2025 Men’s Best XI from which Pasuwa seclected five — Mighty Wanderers’ trio of Dalitso Khungwa, Emmanuel Nyirenda & Blessings Singini; along with Silver Strikers’ duo of Uchizi Vunga & McDonald Lameck (Silver Strikers).
The other players missing the grade in the 2025 Men’s Best XI are Emmanuel Nyirenda, Paul Ndlovu, Timothy Sikwimba, Blessings Singini, Festus Duwe, Promise Kamwendo, Zeliat Nkhoma and Chikumbutso Salima.
Pasuwa’s 23-member domestic league squad entered camp on Saturday to prepare for the Botswana 4-Nations Tourney scheduled for March 23-31 2026 that falls within the FIFA international window to be played at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown.
Ekhaya FC, the revelation team of the country’s elite TNM Super League, that has changed to being named the Premiership under the sponsorship of FDH Bank, has contributed four players, goalkeeper Joshua Waka, defenders Fanizo Mwansambo, & Hermas Masinja and midfielder, Moses Banda.
Five are from Silver Strikers; FDH Bank Cup 2025 Goalkeeper of the Tournament George Chikooka, defenders McDonald Lameck & Dan Sandukira, midfielder Uchizi Vunga and forward Andrew Joseph.
From the 2025 league champions, Mighty Wanderers are goalkeeper Dalitso Khungwa, defender Emmanuel Nyirenda, midfielder Blessings Singini (FDH Bank Cup 2025 Player of the Tournament) and forwards Wallace Adam & Gaddie Chirwa.
Coach Pasuwa
The 2025 Airtel Top 8 and Castel Challenge Cup champions, Nyasa Big Bullets have contributed defender Blessings Mpokera, midfielders Yankho Singo & Chawanangwa Gumbo and forward Ephraim Kondowe — while one each are defenders from Civil Service United’s Charles Mafaiti and Super League-relegated side, Tigers FC’s Alex Kambilinya; midfielder from Moyale Barracks Charles Nkhoma and Karonga United’s forward Allen Chihana.
Pasuwa has handed maiden senior national team call-ups to defenders Dan Sandukira, Hermas Masinja, Charles Mafaiti and forward Wallace Adam in the provisional squad, from which he is expected to select the cream to join foreign-based players, who are closer to the FIFA international break.
None of three outstanding players from the second tier NBS Bank National Division League (NDL) have made it into the squad; Mitundu Baptist’s Golden Boot winner & Player of the Season, Raheem Mtondera and Red Lions duo of Midfielder of the Season Mphatso Magaleta & Defender of the Season Zikhole Ngulube and Best Goalkeeper Omary Hamis.
The three, Raheem Mtondera, Mphatso Magaleta and Zikhole Ngulube have now to wait and impress more as they prepare to participate in the elite league, FDH Bank Premiership after their teams, Red Lions and Mitundu Baptist were promoted having finished as champions and runners-up respectively in the NBS Bank National Division League.
Mitundu Baptist marksman Raheem Mtondera
The tournament is expected to provide Malawi with valuable regional competition as the Flames intensify preparations for the forthcoming the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) 2027 qualifiers set to begin in September.
Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia participated at the AfCON Morocco 2025 and according to FAM’s competitions manager Gomezgani Zakazaka, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia made an agreement in 2024 that they should be hosting tournaments within the region and bringing in the fourth team to join the set up as a guest nation.
Malawi hosted the inaugural edition in March 2024 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, with Kenya invited as a guest nation and when Botswana to become a guest nation, “they did not just accept to be a guest nation but also extended their willingness to host the competition,” said Zakazaka.
The format will remain unchanged, with a draw to determine semifinal pairings from which the two winners will meet in the final and the losing sides to contest a third-place playoff.
