Airtel Top 8 Knockout Cup, the easiest one to win on the Malawian football calendar, is back with exciting fixtures.
With just four games, any of the eight teams can be MK30 million richer by simply winning the quarterfinals, the semis, and the final game.
This year, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Chitipa United, Kamuzu Barracks, Dedza Dynamos, Civil Service United, and Bangwe All Stars will battle it out for the ultimate prize.
Title holders Bullets will look to win it for the third time since its launch in 2017 when they host familiar foes, Civil Service United in the first of the two quarterfinal legs at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Wanderers, who won this competition in the 2022 season, will kick off their campaign on Sunday with a home clash against Bangwe at the same venue.
Below, we zoom in on some of the things to look forward to in the first two quarterfinal matches in the Airtel Top 8 Cup this weekend.
New prize money
In July this year, Airtel Malawi agreed on a new three-year deal with the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) with an increased package of K655 million from K234 million.
This means this year’s winner will get K30 million from K17 million. The mobile service providers, who have been sponsoring the knockout competition since 2017, revealed that prize money will be increased by K5 million each year until 2026.
Who has won this competition the most?
Title holders Bullets and Silver Strikers have won it twice.
The Central Bankers won it in 2017 and 2019, while Bullets clinched the cup in 2021 and 2023.
Both Wanderers and Blue Eagles have each won it once. The Lali Lubani side beat Bullets on penalties in 2022, while Eagles won it in 2018, beating Bullets 1-0.
Spotlight and pressure on Bullets
The Bullets vs. Civil Service United fixture will be a repeat of last season’s quarterfinal matches in the same competition between the two familiar teams. Bullets won the first leg 2-0 at Civo Stadium, but in the return leg, the Office of the President and Cabinet-sponsored side stunned the People’s Team, beating them 2-1. However, the victory wasn’t good enough to secure a place in the semis as they went out of the competition on a 3-2 aggregate loss.
Last month, the two teams met again in the semifinals of the just-concluded FDH Cup quarterfinals at Saturday’s venue. Bullets needed a last-minute strike from substitute Precious Phiri to beat their opponents.
Civil will be eager to avenge that defeat. The Lilongwe-based side is one of the five clubs in this year’s competition who are yet to win this trophy.
Pasuwa chasing the first trophy in 2024
The 2023 award-winning coach will be looking forward to bouncing back from his side’s 3-2 defeat to Blue Eagles in the FDH Bank Cup final a fortnight ago.
But, he is facing a very resilient side that has been giving him a tough run for his money. The Servants are the only two sides to have beaten Bullets at Kamuzu Stadium in cup competitions, having eliminated them out of the then Standard Bank Cup in 2015 and beating them 2-1 in the return leg of this cup last season.
Knowing how Abbas Makawa’s men have been faring against Bullets, this game is surely a final before the actual final and worthy of every penny for all soccer fanatics.the
Civil vying for first trophy since 2015
They have everything at their disposal, but they have had no trophies since 2015 to decorate their clubhouse.
If they beat Bullets in the quarterfinals and maintain the same energy against the other teams, Makawa’s men can surely end their longest trophy drought, which is nearing its 10th year.
If they can win all four matches, people will now appreciate the recent project that has seen them recruiting more energetic young players to match the pace and intensity of playing top-flight football.
Wanderers in desperate bid to end trophy drought
The last time they tested glory was in the 2022 season when they won this competition on penalties at the expense of their cross-town rivals.
Bullets might have had a difficult start to their title defence, but they have won everything in the last decade, but that’s not the case with their neighbours who have only Airtel Top 8 Cup in their cabinet since the 2022 season.
This means they played the entire 2023 season without any piece of silverware. But Airtel Top 8 allows them to make amends when they play host to a struggling Bangwe All Stars on Sunday.
Knowing how the Nomads have been performing at their base, they go into this match as clear favourites and they will be looking forward to completing the job in the first leg ahead of the final legs later this month.
The Nomads cannot afford to crash out of this tournament. They are into their second season withou,t winning a trophy and looking at how their club president,, Thom Mpinganjira has invested in the team, presenting him with a winning medal would be a very big thank you to the business mogul and philanthropist.
This competition, with just four matches to play, is the shortest route to winning a title, especially for any side that is as desperate as Wanderers to end the trophy drought.
The other two quarterfinals, involving Chitipa United and Kamuzu Barracks, Silver Strikers and Dedza Dynamos, will be played next week. This season’s theme remains ‘Zamadolo’ and yes, only one of the eight teams will be crowned ‘Dolo wa 2024’.
