After dumping defending champions Zambia from the Cosafa, which is serving as the qualifier for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Malawi’s head coach Enos Chatama is confident ahead of his side’s final group stage match against South Africa.
Malawi came from behind after conceding an early goal to defeat Zambia 2-1, while Madagascar lost 5-1 to South Africa. With one round of fixtures remaining, both Zambia and Madagascar are out of the race for the semifinals.
South Africa and Malawi will now battle for the top spot in the group. Only the top team in each pool advances to the last four, along with the best runner-up across the three groups.
Malawi coach Chatama, however, believes South Africa remains a strong contender based on their past performances.
“The dimension differs, South Africa plays good football, they play more of Spanish football, they are the favourites, they have done well in the past tournaments.
“But we are a team and have nothing to lose, they have done well in the past as far as Cosafa is concerned. We have seen how they play. They have been together for a long time and have participated in different competitions,” said Chatama.
Commenting on Malawi’s performance against Zambia, Chatama thanked his boys for a job well done, acknowledging the challenges of the match.
“Zambia played long balls which were difficult for us to adapt but we controlled the situation. We do not have depth on the bench, but we won the match tactically,” he added.
READ MORE: FC MUZA Go Top as Nchanga Rangers Stumble in MTN Super League Week 4
