* A repeat of last season when they lost 0-1 away against Mighty Wanderers only to advance on 2-1 aggregate in the second leg
* As the Nomads knockout Creck Sporting on 3-1 aggregate score after winning 2-0 in first leg and drawing 1-1 this Sunday afternoon
By Duncan Mlanjira
Karonga United have stunned Silver Strikers 3-0 this Sunday afternoon at Karonga Stadium to advance to the Airtel Top 8 2026 semifinals on 3-2 aggregate.
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Karonga lost 0-2 to the Bankers in the leg away at Silver Stadium but they turned the tables in the second half having rested for the halftime break at 0-0.
This is a repeat of last season when Karonga lost 0-1 away at Kamuzu Stadium against Mighty Wanderers only to advance on 2-1 aggregate in the second leg at the same Karonga Stadium.
After the break, Karonga United took the lead in the 61st minute through Lennox Kiwambe before Godfrey Sibale made it 2-0 seven minutes later and Kiwambe claiming his brace in the 83rd minute.
In the semifinals, Karonga will meet Blue Eagles, who-drew-one-all-away at Civo Stadium against Civil Service United and following their 0-0 in the 1st leg, they went through on away goal rule.
Meanwhile, Mighty Wanderers have advanced to the semifinals after drawing 1-1 with Creck Sporting Club 3-1 on aggregate score having won the first leg 2-0 at Mpira Stadium.
The Nomads, who have only won the Airtel Top 8 once in 2022 since its inception in 2017, have qualified from the two-legged 2026 edition’s quarterfinals beating Creck Sporting Club 3-1 on aggregate score.
The Nomads won 2-0 the first leg last month at Mpira Stadium and have drawn 1-1 this Sunday afternoon at Owen Malijani Stadium to advance to the semifinals after they fell to Karonga United at same stage last year.
Creck SC — coached by Malawi’s football legend Ernest Mtawali — took the lead in the 14th minute Ramadhan Mtafu and took the result up to the halftime break.
Ten minutes after the break, the Nomads equalised through Cameroonian striker, SAMA Thierrry Tanjong — a result that carried up to the last whistle.
The Nomads will now take on Ekhaya FC, who-ousted-defending-champions-Nyasa-Big-Bullets 7-6 through post-match penalties having drawn 1-1 on Saturday at Mpira Stadium to get an aggregate 2-2 draw after also drawing 1-1 in the first leg at Bingu National Stadium.
This is Ekhaya’s debut appearance in the tournament they earned a place into after finishing 7th in the 2025 top flight league.
Saturday’s match between Bullets and Ekhaya
Mighty Wanderers had to dig deep to draw 1-1 with Ekhaya in their recent FDH Bank Premiership meeting and the one legged semifinal will certainly be a cracker of a game between the two sides that are more like sister clubs by virtue of being bankrolled by one sponsor.
Ekhaya FC can immensely celebrate having booted out the tournament’s most successful side, Nyasa Big Bullets, who have won it a record four times (2021, 2023, 2024, 2025).
Silver Strikers have won the Airtel Top 8 twice and this is the first time to be eliminated in the quarterfinals since the tournament’s inception in 2017.
The TV broadcast highlights of the matches can be accessed through the following link; https://www.dazn.com/en-MW/competition/Competition:h4mwrqwtze55164sy5cqv4ux8.
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