Scorchers steal show

Hundreds of football fans on Friday thronged Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe to watch the Scorchers defeat Zimbabwe 2-0 in a 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifying match which generated a record K49.4 million in gate revenue.

The gross is just K2 million shy of the revenue the Flames’ 2027 Afrioca Cup of Nations Group B qualifier against South Sudan raised a week ago.

Yet the Flames standard match tickets were at K8 000 advanced and K10 000 on match day while the Scorchers tickets were at K4 000 advance and K5 000 on match day.

The match marked the Scorchers’ first appearance before their home supporters since their impressive campaign at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco, where they finished as runners-up and secured qualification for the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Fans cheering on the Scorchers on Friday at Bingu National

Stadium. | Courtesy of FAM

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) communications officer Collins Nsunza said the huge turnout and gate revenue represented a major milestone for women’s football.

“This is a record-breaking figure for the Scorchers, and it demonstrates the significant effort FAM is putting into investing in and developing women’s football.

“Remember, Scorchers matches were previously free of charge, but we have now moved from zero gate revenue to K49 million. As FAM, we are delighted with this achievement.

“This also shows how much the Scorchers brand has grown under our transformation agenda. We are confident that the brand will continue to grow, attract more supporters and generate even greater revenue in the future,” he said.

The Scorchers’ victory came at a time when Malawi’s men’s national teams have endured a disappointing run of results.

The Flames lost 3-1 away to Angola in an Afcon qualifier on Tuesday.

On the same day, the Under-23 national team was knocked out of the Under-23 Afcon qualifiers after losing 2-1 on aggregate to Eswatini.

A week earlier, Malawi’s Under-20 side also failed to qualify for the Afcon

Under-20 tournament in Mozambique.

In contrast, the Scorchers have continued to make strides, with their growing profile reflected in their latest Fifa Women’s World Rankings.

Just hours before kick-off on Friday, Malawi emerged as the biggest movers in the latest Coca-Cola-Fifa Women’s World Rankings, climbing 37 places from 153rd to 116th.

Nsunza said the rise was evidence that FAM’s investment in women’s football was beginning to bear fruits.

“We are very happy with the progress the Scorchers have made under our transformation agenda,” he said.

“Previously, the team largely participated in the Cosafa Women’s Championship, which does not count towards the Fifa rankings. However, under the transformation Agenda, we have provided the Scorchers with more opportunities to play international friendly matches and compete at the highest level.

“The team has played several international friendlies and performed exceptionally well at Wafcon, which is a clear indication of the progress we are making,” he said.

However, Nsunza said the association was not resting on its achievements, adding that the ambition was to push Malawi into the top 100 of the global rankings.

Scorchers rake in record revenue

“While we are pleased with these achievements, we believe there is still room for improvement. Our ambition is to see the Scorchers break into the double digits of the Fifa Women’s World Rankings soon.”

Football analyst George Chiusiwa said the Scorchers deserve the praise.

“Football fans in Malawi have been starved of noticeable success. The satisfactory and excellent performances by the Scorchers at the Wafconin Morocco are a reason enough to attract massive crowds at Bingu National Stadium when the girls played Zimbabwe.

“Thus, it is not by coincidence to see that the Flames may not be a desirable football brand in the eyes of spectators presently owing to the dismal performances.

“In fact, we also saw how attractive the men’s senior national team was following the Flames good showing at the 2021 Afcon when the team reached the Round of 16 of the tournament.

People will once again fill up the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe to watch the Flames once the team’s performances improve on the pitch,” he said.

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