* K10 million for runners-up, K5 million for 3rd place as National Bank of Malawi (NBM) increases its annual sponsorship towards FAM competitions and the Scorchers
* From K930 million to K2.3 billion, representing a 147% increase with K1.3 billion allocated to Scorchers, K400 million to the NBM Women’s Premiership and K600 million to the NBM U23 Championship
By Duncan Mlanjira
Champions of the NBM Women’s Premiership 2026 will receive K15 million prize money with K10 million going to runners-up while K5 million has been allocated for 3rd place team.
This was announced this morning when National Bank of Malawi (NBM) announced an increased of its annual sponsorship towards Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and the Scorchers from K930 million to K2.3 billion — representing a 147% increase.
Thus the three-year partnership will support the Malawi Scorchers at K1.3 billion; the NBM U-23 Men’s Championship at K600 million and K400 million to the NBM Women’s Premiership.
The NBM Women’s Premiership will kick off this weekend with two matches on Saturday, both to be played at Mpira Stadium.
Nyasa Big Bullets Women who finished 4th, will take on new contestants Chitoliro Heroines from 12h00 to be followed by the inaugural champions, Silver Strikers Ladies to open their defence campaign against last season’s 6th-placed Ntopwa Women.
On Sunday, there will be an NBM Women’s Premiership derby between runners-up Ascent Soccer and 3rd-placed MDF Lionesses at Ascent as Civil Service Women (5th) will host Mighty Wanderers Queens (7th) at Civo Stadium with new entrants, Fact Ladies and Rumphi Sisters dating each other at Nankhaka.
Silver Strikers Ladies dominated the inaugural campaign in which they only lost twice, the first being in the opening match of the second round.
They went on to clinch the title with three games still remaining to play.
Saturday’s match against Ntopwa Women will be a repeat of last season’s second round which the Bankers won 4-0 to be declared champions.
They ended the season with 48 points from 16 wins, no draws and two losses, while runners-up Ascent Soccer amassed 41 from 13 wins, two draws and three losses.
Third-placed MDF Lionesses finished with 31 points, sharing with 4th-placed Nyasa Big Bullets Women — both from nine wins, four draws and five losses separated by goal difference.
Three teams were relegated, Topik Academy on 8th place with 9 points; MK Academy on 9th with 7 points and Moyale Sisters at the rock bottom with 5 points.
The 10-team top tier women’s football system was very competitive and exposed massive hidden talent that included Silver Ladies’ Deborah Henry, who earned her place in the Scorchers.
Deborah Henry
Deborah won the Golden Boot with an unassailable 22 goals to her name and was voted Player of the Season.
She and four others from Silver Ladies — Ireen Khumalo, Chikondi Gondwe, Tionge Phiri and Madyina Ngulube — were in the Scorchers historic run at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) Morocco 2026.
Chikondi Gondwe, Tionge Phiri, Madyina Ngulube, Deborah Henry and Ireen Khumalo
As NBM Women’s Premiership champions, the Silver Ladies qualified for the CAF Women’s Champions League-COSAFA Qualifier where they lost in the semifinals as well as the 3rd-place playoff.
At the official three-year contract agreement — subject to negotiations on an annual basis — NBM Chief Operations Officer, Masauko Katsala said the increase reflects the bank’s satisfaction with the achievements recorded under the previous sponsorship.
“When we look at what the sponsorship achieved in the previous year, we are very satisfied that everything went well.
“We have seen for ourselves that with the right investment and support, we can achieve quite a lot in terms of football development in this country.”
Katsala added that the Scorchers’ historic performance at the WAfCON — finishing with the silver medal and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2927, demonstrated the impact of investing in women’s football.
“…the achievement that has been recorded by the Scorchers at the WAfCON pleased everyone in this country and all of us that, indeed, with the right investment in sports, football and with some emphasis on women’s football, it can go a long way.”
He added that NBM expects the partnership with FAM to contribute meaningfully to football development in Malawi: “Our expectation is that National Bank of Malawi Plc, the Bank of the Nation, and the Football Association of Malawi, in our partnership, will work together to see football developing in this country,” said Katsala.
On his part, FAM president Fleetwood Haiya stayed that the increased investment reflects the confidence NBM has in the Association’s administration and its development plans.
“We are very excited about this kind of investment,” he said. “As I always say, this kind of investment can only come if the partner they are working with has confidence in and can trust the institution.”
Haiya highlighted that FAM had deliberately prioritised transparency and accountability, adding that these principles had helped strengthen the relationship with its partners.
He also acknowledged the contribution of the Women’s Football Association, regional and district associations in managing competitions across the country.
“For example, in the U23 Championship, we have played about 1,736 games. These were not managed by the FAM Secretariat but by the district and regional associations,” he said.
Haiya also highlighted that the Scorchers success strengthened belief in the potential of investing in girls and women’s football.—Additional reporting by FAM Media
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