Flames head coach Kalisto Pasuwa believes Malawi’s early arrival in Cairo will give his side enough time to adjust to the environment and prepare for Wednesday’s 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying encounter against Egypt.
The Flames arrived in the Egyptian capital in the early hours of Monday after departing Malawi around midday on Sunday.
Pasuwa said the team prioritised recovery following the long journey, with their first training session scheduled for Monday evening.
“We started off yesterday around 12 and arrived here in the early hours of the morning, around 3 am. We couldn’t do stretches in the morning because we wanted the players to rest more,” said Pasuwa.
The coach believes spending several days in Egypt before the match will help the players adapt to the weather conditions and give the technical panel enough time to work with the squad, particularly those who were not involved in previous matches.
“Yes, it’s to our advantage. The guys can adjust to the weather, and having these players with us for three or four days can be good in terms of how we need to prepare ourselves,” he said.
Pasuwa also revealed that 15 of the 24 called-up players were in camp at the time of the interview, with several foreign-based players expected to join the squad. Mozambique-based duo Richard Mbulu and Babatunde Adepoju have since joined the Flames camp, alongside Francisco Madinga of Kenshi Dynamos FC and TP Mazembe teammates Patrick Mwangulu and Lanjesi Nkhoma.
Zimbabwe-based players Gomezgani Chirwa, Washali Jaziya and McDonald Rameck, alongside Lloyd Njaliwa, are expected to arrive later on Monday. Germany-based forward Mwisho Mhango and United States-based Adiel Kaduya are expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
Malawi will face Egypt on Wednesday, 11 November, in Cairo before hosting the Pharaohs in the return fixture at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on 17 November.
