NBM hikes football package

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc has hiked football sponsorship from K930 million to K2.3 billion (bn), representing 147 percent increase.

During the unveiling ceremony in Blantyre, NBM chief operations officer Masauko Katsala said while the new package is only for 2026/27, their commitment to football sponsorship is beyond one year as the partnership will be extended to three years with sponsorship value subject for review annually.

He said the sponsorship renewal follows the success of the their sponsorship last season, particularly the Scorchers’ incredible performance at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals in Morocco, where the Malawi National Women’s Football Team finished as runners-up on their debut appearance and qualified for the Fifa Women’s World Cup for the first time.

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“This football sponsorship renewal follows a successful first year that demonstrated the impact of the partnership, particularly in women’s football. This is not simply an increase in a financial figure. It reflects the confidence we have in football and in our partnership with Football Association of Malawi [FAM],” said Katsala.

He said NBM plc’s football commitment is now beyond the 2026/27 season because they understand that change does not happen overnight but requires consistency, patience and long-term investment.

“We want this to be a partnership, where we can look back after three years and say that we helped move Malawian football forward,” said Katsala.

“We do not see this as a relationship with an expiry date. We see it as the beginning of a long-term partnership with Malawian football.”

FAM president Fleetwood Haiya has described the renewed sponsorship as a big boost to Malawi football.

“Following the success of the Scorchers, we hoped to get sponsorship renewal from the bank of the nation, but didn’t expect that they could come this big, considering the economic situation of the country. We are thankful to NBM,” he said.

National Women’s Football Association chairperson Adelaide Migogo praised the bank for contributing to the country’s women’s football transformation.

In the 2026/27 package, K1.3bn is allocated to the Scorchers with K800 million channelled to the Malawi National Women’s Football Team as 2026 Wafcon performance bonus.

The 2026/27 NBM Women’s Premiership has received K400 million while the men’s NBM Under-23 Premiership has been given K600 million.

Last year, NBM plc’s sponsorship was K930 million for football with K500 million going towards the Under-23 Championship, K280 million to the Women’s Premiership and K150 million to the Scorchers.

The 2026/27 NBM Women’s Premiership will kicks off this Saturday at Mpira stadium in Chiwembe township, Blantyre with the eventual champions assured of K15 million prize money, which is K5 million more than last season’s.

Silver Strikers Ladies were the inaugural champions.

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