* Followed by an away Matchday 2 assignment to Angola, both to be played between September 21 and October 6, 2026
* Away to Egypt next in back-to-back fixtures for Matchday 3 and 4 scheduled between November 9 and 17, 2026
Maravi Express
Following the release of the fixtures by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Flames will begin their Group B qualifying campaign of the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Pamoja 2027 with a home match against South Sudan in September.
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A report by FAM Media indicates that the Flames will next travel to meet fellow COSAFA side, Angola to be played in October.
In the next international window for Matchday 3 and 4 to be played between November 9 and 17, 2026, the Flames will face Egypt in back-to-back fixtures — travelling first before hosting the Pharaohs at home.
Action returns between March 22 and 30, 2027, with the Flames travelling to South Sudan for Matchday 5 before concluding the group campaign with a home match against Angola in Matchday 6.
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the AfCON Pamoja 2027 to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda — the first AfCON to be staged by three countries.
The Flames will be aiming to return to the continental stage after last qualifying for the 2021 in Cameroon, where they reached the knockout stages for the first time ever in the Round of 16.
Senegal’s Koulibaly marking Gabadinho Mhango during the AfCON Cameroon 2021
In the AfCON 2025 qualifying campaign competing against Senegal, Burkina Faso and Burundi, the Flames recorded 1 win, 1 draw, and 4 defeats across their six qualifying fixtures.
They lost 2-3 to Burundi at home on September 5, 2024; 1-3 to Burkina Faso in Bamako on September 10, 2024; 0-4 to Senegal in Dakar on October 11, 2024 and 0-1 in the back-to-back with the Lions of Teranga at home onOctober 15, 2024 — which led to the then coach Patrick Mabedi to be fired.
He was replaced by Zimbabwean Kalisto Pasuwa, whose mission was to guide the team to some semblance of pride in the remaining matches with a long-term focus to qualify for the AfCON 2027.
He led the team to a 0-0 draw with Burundi away in Abidjan on November 14, 2024 and earning a 3-0 over Burkina Faso at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on November 18, 2024.
When the draw was concluded pitting the Flames against these three, Pasuwa described the group as fair, but stressed the need for unity, proper preparation and collective effort if Malawi are to qualify.
“It is a fair draw in my opinion as we all have to play all the teams. Yes, we played Egypt back then and a lot has changed since.
“Every game is a new game. To qualify, we have to play first and as Malawi, we just need to pull in the same direction and avoid infighting — it is a collective effort,” Pasuwa said.—Reporting by FAM media; editing by Duncan Mlanjira; Maravi Express
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