2027 AFCON: Pasuwa says Malawi should avoid infighting to qualify

Malawi national team coach Kalisto Pasuwa has given his take on the outcome of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage qualifying draw held on Tuesday.

During the draw held at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Egypt, the Flames were put in the same Group B with record champions Egypt, South Sudan and fellow Southern Africa opponents, Angola. Only the top two from the pool will book a ticket to the finals.

Here we are! 🌍

12 groups. One journey to the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2027. Who’s making it? pic.twitter.com/eV20yndZGl

— CAF Online (@CAF_Online) May 19, 2026

Pasuwa gives his take on 2027 AFCON draw

Reacting to the draw as quoted by Football Association of Malawi website, Pasuwa said sound preparations and unity of purpose will be key if the Flames are to succeed on the pitch.

“It is a fair draw in my opinion as we all must play all the teams,” the Zimbabwean said.

“Yes, we played Egypt back then and a lot has changed since. Every game is a new game. To qualify, we must play first and as Malawi, we just need to pull in the same direction and avoid infighting. It is a collective effort.”

Malawi and Egypt also shared the same group during the 2010 and 2023 AFCON qualifying campaigns with the Pharaohs dominating proceedings in both editions.

Egypt and South Sudan: Malawi’s familiar foes

The Flames were also drawn with South Sudan in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers and managed to defeat the newest national team from East Africa at home and away before securing qualification to the finals held in Cameroon where they reached the Round of 16.

However, the Flames were unable to qualify for the finals of the 2023 and 2025 AFCON editions.  While their performances under Pasuwa showed a lot of promise when he was the caretaker coach last year, the same cannot be said about his full-time reign.

The team’s form has been unconvincing of late; it finished the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament winless in two games and without scoring  a goal in Botswana in March 2026.

Inconsistent performances

Therefore, the former Zimbabwe coach has work cut out for him to make the most of a squad that is in transition with the current crop of players such as Patrick Mwaungulu, Wisdom Mpinganjira, Lloyd Aaron and Lanjesi Nkhoma too inconsistent.

They are yet to convince that they are ready to replace the likes of Richard Mbulu and Gabadinho Mhango and take the team forward.

Experienced newcomers Congolese-born Mayele Malango and Nigerian-born Babatunde Adepoju, who switched to the Flames recently, are yet to find their feet in the team.

Consequently, the starting XI keeps changing, results are not improving and the patience of the ever-demanding fans is getting thin.

Following the draw, Pasuwa has two back-to-back friendlies in Ethiopia in June 2026 to patch a team that can compete in the AFCON qualifying matches.

The draw saw 48 national teams split into 12 four-member groups and the top two from each pool will book the ticket to the final tournament which Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania will co-host.

This means that the three national teams are guaranteed final place at the finals.  Consequently, only one team from each of the groups with a host nation team will sail through to the AFCON finals scheduled for June 2027.