* To identify teams which will play the first and second matches on the opening day, Saturday, March 22 and which teams will be the ‘home’ side
* The two winning teams on Saturday, March 22, will compete for the Sapitwa 4 Honours on Sunday, March 23 while losers will compete for 3rd place
By Duncan Mlanjira
The draw for the Sapitwa 4 Season 4 pre-season tournament will be held tomorrow and will be live on MBC 2 On-the-Go at 18h00, the official broadcaster, which will cover all four matches at the traditional venue, Mulanje Park in Mulanje live on MBC TV 2 On-the-GO, MBC TV, MBC Radio 2 FM and MBC Digital on Saturday and Sunday, March 28-28, 2026.
Advertisement
Teams involved are TNM Super League 2025 Champions, Mighty Wanderers; inaugural NBS National Division League (NDL) Champions, Red Lions; Castel Challenge Cup 2025 silver medalists, Dedza Dynamos; and TNM Super League 2025 7th-placed Ekhaya FC.
Amplifying that the Sapitwa 4 tourney is becoming bigger and better, the Season 4 edition has attracted Premier Bet — the leader of sports betting and lotto games in Malawi — as the title sponsor, while GM Plastics Industry Ltd joining in as sponsors of Man of Match at K100,000 each across the four matches to be played.
Sapitwa 4 was mooted by Super League of Malawi (SULOM) Executive Member, Chimwemwe Nyirenda, to support the country’s elite football clubs a platform where they can prepare well before the forthcoming season, whose 2026/2027 is set to officially commence on April 18, 2026 with the Charity Shield.
Wanderers are participating in the pre-season tournament for the first time, while their archrivals Nyasa Big Bullets spiced 2025 edition, which they won at the expense of Ekhaya FC, Mighty Tigers and Lilongwe-based Creck Sporting Club.
Mighty Wanderers
Dedza Dynamos participated in its inaugural event in 2023 along with Bangwe All Stars, Mighty Tigers and Red Lions and in 2024, the four teams involved were Mulanje Park’s host team, FOMO FC; Mighty Tigers; Dedza Dynamos; and Bangwe All Stars, who emerged the winners.
The host team, FOMO FC participated after being promoted into the TNM Super League 2024, from which they were demoted alongside with Bangwe All Stars while Mighty Tigers are in the tournament having been demoted from the TNM Super League 2025.
The Sapitwa 4, while providing a chance to football supporters in Mulanje and visiting enthusiasts to enjoy the Beautiful Game, it at the same time promotes Mulanje District as a hot tourism destination — and while the matches will be covered live by MBC, fans will be expected to pay K2,000 each on each Matchday.
Red Lions
Red Lions also spice up the Season 4 since they are returning to the elite league, now recommissioned as the FDH Bank Premiership, after getting demoted from the elite league some four seasons ago.
They return having won the country’s inaugural second-tier football system, the NBS Bank NDL, along with second-placed Mitundu Baptist and 3rd-placed Baka City, who also return to the elite league having been demoted after the 2024 season along with FOMO FC and Bangwe All Stars. FOMO FC finished the NBS Bank NDL on 4th position while Bangwe All Stars ended on 7th.
Meanwhile, Dedza Dynamos, who escaped relegation from the TNM Super League 2025 on the last Matchday, finishing on 12th position of the 16-member league, travel to Mulanje being the Castel Challenge Cup 2025 silver medalists.
Dedza Dynamos
Their journey to the final, in which they lost 1-2 to Nyasa Big Bullets in the final on February 21, 2026 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, saw them beat Creck Sporting 3-1 in the Round of 32 before overcoming Ekhaya FC 2-0 in the quarterfinals at Mpira Stadium — and Blue Eagles through postmatch penalties after playing out to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
Thus it will be an intriguing match should they be drawn against Ekhaya for the Matchday 1 encounter or if both win or lose in the first matches to face each other the following day.
The teams will be warming up for the flagship top-tier league, the FDH Bank Premiership, which will kick off on April 25, 2026, while Wanderers will tuneup for the Charity Shield 2026.
