Malawi National Football Team head coach Kalisto Pasuwa has described the Flames’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group as fair after Malawi were drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola and South Sudan.
Reacting to the draw, Pasuwa said Malawi must focus on preparation, unity and collective effort as the team begins its push for qualification.
“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,” said Pasuwa.
The 2027 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers draw was conducted on Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt, with 48 nations drawn into 12 groups of four teams each.
The top two teams from each group will qualify automatically for the continental showpiece. In groups involving one of the co-host nations, an additional team will progress to the finals. The 2027 AFCON tournament will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in June 2027.
Malawi will renew rivalry with familiar opponents in the qualification campaign. The Flames were in the same group with Egypt during the 2010 AFCON qualifiers and also met the Pharaohs in the 2023 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The Flames were also drawn with South Sudan in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers, a campaign in which Malawi successfully qualified for the finals and went on to reach the Round of 16.
Malawi also faced Angola at the 2010 AFCON finals, adding further history to the Group B contest.
The Flames will be looking to compete strongly in the qualifiers as they target a return to Africa’s biggest football stage.
