* Between leaders Silver Strikers with 29 points and 4th-placed Nyasa Big Bullets (27 points) at Mpira Stadium on Saturday
* As 3rd-placed Blue Eagles with 28 points await to face runners-up Mighty Wanderers, who have CAF Champions League assignment on Sunday and second leg away on Saturday September 19
By Duncan Mlanjira
The headline fixture of the last assignments of the first round of the FDH Bank Premiership 2026 will be between leaders Silver Strikers and 4th-placed Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday at Mpira Stadium, which has the potential for the People’s Team to claim the top spot.
The Bankers lead with 29 points — sharing with the top flight league’s reigning champions and the FDH Bank Premiership runners-up, Mighty Wanderers, while the Bullets have 27 points.
If the People’s Team would win at home Mpira Stadium on Saturday, they will claim the leadership up until Saturday, September 19 when Matchweek 15 will conclude between Wanderers and 3rd-placed Blue Eagles (28 points) at Nankhaka Stadium.
Wanderers are on bye for the moment as they have an international assignment, the CAF Champions League qualifying match, against Simba Sports Club of Tanzania — whose first leg is on Sunday, September 6 at Bingu National Stadium before the return leg on Friday, September 11.
Thus the result between Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers remains a headliner as in the event of a draw, and either Wanderers or Eagles win, one of them will claim the inaugural FDH Bank Premiership’s first round leadership.
Meanwhile, another game that will be of great significance would be between Ekhaya FC and Karonga United on Sunday at Mpira Stadium, which will be a repeat battle between the two sides in recent weeks.
Ekhaya defeated Karonga United 2-1 in the Airtel Top 8 2026 semifinal and went on to beat Mighty Wanderers also 2-1 to clinch a top flight title in their debut appearance.
Ekhaya — who defeated record 4-time winners and defending champions, Nyasa Big Bullets in the quarterfinals — qualified into the Airtel Top 8 after finishing 7th in their debut super league season in 2025.
And in their first cup competition, they claimed the scalp of the giants, Big Bullets by first coming from behind to draw 1-1 in the first leg and leading 1-0 before again drawing 1-1 to win 7-6 on post-match penalties.
In the one-off knockout semifinal, they won straight 2-1 in Karonga — but this time they are at home, Mpira Stadium.
Another repeat from the Airtel Top 8 2026 will be between Wanderers and Blue Eagles, which the Nomads won 5-4 in post-match penalties after playing out to a 1-1 draw in the semifinals.
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Currently, Ekhaya sit on 10th place in the FDH Bank Premiership with 17 points while Karonga United are in the relegation zone — on 14th with 13 points.
On Sunday, it will be a fight on four fronts — Ekhaya to prove their supremacy over Karonga and to try and push themselves into the top eight in their quest to defend the Airtel Top 6 title.
For Karonga, it will be a revenge mission and to move away from the relegation zone, who share 13 points with 13th-placed MAFCO, a point away from Dedza Dynamos on 12th with 14 points.
On 11th place, sharing 17 points with Ekhaya, are Civil Service United, who face 15th-placed Kamuzu Barracks on Saturday at Nankhaka.
On 9th place with 18 points are Moyale, who finish the first round away at Chitowe to face MAFCO while Red Lions — who returned to the top flight after a three-season break following demotion — are on the Airtel Top 8 qualification’s cutting off point with 19 points.
The Lions of Zomba will be at home, Zomba Stadium to host 5th-placed Masters FC, who have 21 points — eight away from the two top leaders.
It would have been much more an intriguing encounter if Baka City had been the actual full team that the Red Lions are meeting at this stage.
The Lions got promoted into the Premiership having been champions of the 2nd-tier NBS Bank National Division League (NDL) — along with Baka on 3rd place, but Baka were bought off by Masters Security Ltd, and completely renamed Masters FC.
Owned by Minister Alfred Gangata, Masters Security FC got demoted from the top flight in 2017 and went into hibernation from any football structure until Gangata pounced on Baka’s promotion to buy off its rights.
Red Lions’ runners-up in the NBS Bank NDL were Mitundu Baptist, who also went into partnership with LUANAR FC and rebranded to LUANAR Mitundu.
LUANAR Mitundu are on 7th place, sharing 19 points with Red Lions and they wrap up the first round with Dedza Dynamos on Sunday at Dedza Stadium.
On 6th place with 20 points are Chitipa United, who date rock bottom of the table Creck Sporting Club at home, Chitipa Stadium on Sunday.
For now, Ekhaya — who stumbled in their first of their matchweek assignments and admirably picked themselves — have an uphill task in that they have to stay in contention for their Airtel Top 8 defence and try as much as possible to climb up the ladder.
They have raised their bar very high by beating two giants; Nyasa Big Bullets and the top flight league’s reigning champions Mighty Wanderers with an outright 2-1 triumph — setting themselves a tag of ‘team to beat’.
Nyasa Big Bullets, who are the most successful team in both cup games and league title, are closely lurking by — and once let loose, they are like a freight liner downhill without breaks.
The Bullets hold the prestige of having won 17 top flight league titles — 1986, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020–21, 2022, 2023.
Silver then won it after a 11-year drought before Wanderers wrestled it from them last season under head coach Bob Mpinganjira.
But following the loss to Ekhaya in the Airtel Top 8 final, Bob has been sent on suspension and replaced with his assistant, McDonald Mtetemera in the interim ahead of the CAF Champions League qualifiers against Simba SC.
