FDH Bank Cup National Draw Reveals Exciting Matchups for Round of 32

The draw for this year's FDH Bank Cup National took place today at Mpira House in Chiwembe, unveiling three captivating Super League ties in the round of 32, writes Happy Valirani.

Blantyre, Malawi - The draw for this year's FDH Bank Cup National took place today at Mpira House in Chiwembe, unveiling three captivating Super League ties in the round of 32, writes Happy Valirani.

The theme for this edition of the Cup is "Pachema."

A total of 32 teams will compete for a spot in the round of 16 in this highly anticipated tournament.

Among the 32 teams, 16 hail from the northern, central, and southern regions, and they have been drawn to face off against the 16 Super League teams.

FDH Bank, the cup's sponsor, has increased the prize money for this year's competition from K90 million to K120 million, with the winner walking away with K30 million, a significant increase from last year's K25 million.

The bank has also raised the prize money for regional team winners from K500,000 to K700,000 this year.

Additionally, the bank will cover the travel expenses of the regional teams as they travel to different parts of the country to compete.

Other prizes include jerseys and footballs.

Tiyese Kaimila, Marketing Manager of FDH Bank, expressed satisfaction with the draw and anticipated another thrilling competition this year.

"We are delighted with the draw, the way it was conducted, and the resulting matches. We have three ties featuring Super League teams and some local derbies from the districts, which promise excitement. We are particularly excited about the next round because we have increased the sponsorship from 90 million Kwacha to 120 million Kwacha this season," said Kaimila.

Kaimila also acknowledged the supporters for their non-violent behaviour at football venues since the cup's launch in 2021.

He applauded their engagement with the bank through social media platforms, specifically mentioning the "Wawuona Ndani" supporters' competition.

Gomezgani Zakazaka, Competition Manager of the Football Association of Malawi, expressed gratitude to FDH Bank for increasing sponsorship for this year's cup.

"We are thrilled to enter the third edition of this competition, which began in 2021. Looking back at where we came from, last year's tournament was exceptional, with a significant upset where a non-super league team reached the final—a remarkable achievement after many years. We look forward to another exciting competition, hoping that teams will replicate the same performance and that regional teams will also match the accomplishments of their counterparts from last season. We can't wait for the matches to begin," Zakazaka remarked.

The round of 32 is scheduled to commence on June 17th and conclude on June 30th, while the round of 16 is set to kick off on July 3rd.

Defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will start this year's campaign at home against Ndirande Stars.

Noteworthy fixtures include three Super League encounters: the Blue Eagles vs. the Red Lions, Chitipa United vs. the Dedza Dynamos, and Karonga United hosting Kamuzu Barracks.

Mpondas will face Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, while Silver Strikers will start their campaign against Ntaja United.