South Africa to host Malawi versus Lesotho’s double header

Down and out of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Malawi return to the pitch in November for two friendlies against fellow Southern African opponents Lesotho.

The Flames and Likuena, teams united by their World Cup disappointment, will test each other’s strength in South Africa. The friendlies will take place in Bloemfontein on 15 and 18 November 2025.

A statement from the Football Association of Malawi confirms the strength- building matches scheduled for the November FIFA window.

The Flames are returning to action a month they finished the World Cup qualifiers in a worst possible manner. They lost 1-0 to Sao Tome and Principe October 13 2025. It was such a gift for the minnows, who until that result, had not won any match in Group H of the World Cup qualifiers.

How did Malawi and Lesotho finish World Cup qualifying campaign?

For Sao Tome, it was their first competitive victory since a 1-0 result over Mauritius in 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

The Flames finished in fifth place with 13 points way behind Namibia and Liberia, whose final tally was 15 points, let alone leaders Tunisia’s 28 points. The Carthage Eagles sealed the World Cup berth outright.

In the opposite camp, the finish in the World Cup race was strong for Lesotho who upset Zimbabwe 1-0, a result that eventually cost then Warriors coach Michael Nees his job.