Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has hailed the Under-15 National Football Team as the future of Malawi football, saying their participation in the inaugural Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan has provided valuable international exposure.

The team will conclude its campaign today against Japan or Rwanda in a play-off for position 79.

This follows Malawi’s losses to Panama by four goals to nil and 6-2 to Thailand in Tier C placement matches.

FAM communications officer Collins Nsunza in an interview said despite Malawi missing out on the Tier C title, the experience would help prepare the youngsters for future national team assignments.

He said: “We are happy with the exposure of our team. As FAM our priority is to give these young players the opportunity to enjoy football, gain valuable exposure and grow through the experience.

“In transformation agenda, we remain committed to developing young talent to continue building strong national teams for the future.”

Most players in the squad come from Under-15 leagues and football academies, thereby providing a pool of emerging talent for future national teams.

Palyers who have impressed at the tournament are Takutzwa Maluwe, Miracle Ndovie, Jazaka Amidu, Elisha Nyirenda, Lameck Kamanga and Sipho Ngwira.

Nsunza said FAM will ensure the players continued to gain experience through local and international competitions.

“We also have other competitions, including schools football and Under-17 tournaments. The players participating in the Under-15 World Cup will form the pool of talent we will be looking at for future national team selection,” he said.

Nsunza said FAM deliberately included academy owners in the delegation to Azerbaijan to expose them to international standards of youth football development.

“That is why FAM is in the process of registering football academies across Malawi to ensure proper monitoring and development of young players,” said Nsunza.

Namasala Academy owner Wesley Namasala, who has travelled with the team, said the tournament has reinforced the need for Malawi to invest in structured youth development programmes.

He said Malawi’s players faced physical disadvantages against some of their counterparts.

“Most 14-year-olds from developed countries are more physically developed and stronger than our boys of the same age,” he said.

Namasala also noted differences in technical and tactical development.

“Many of these players have received structured coaching from a very young age. You can see it in their anticipation, movement, positioning and speed of decision-making,” he said.

He said such qualities required years of preparation.

Meanwhile, African countries with established youth development programmes have made an impact at the invitational tournament.

Angola, Algeria and Kenya topped their respective groups to qualify for Tier A, where teams are competing for the title and positions up to 32.

South Africa, South Sudan and Zambia qualified for Tier B, where teams are competing for positions 33 to 64.

However, Fifa president Gianni Infantino has emphasised that the tournament is designed to provide international exposure, promote development and foster friendships across cultures rather than focus solely on results.

“We want to keep giving every talent a chance,” he said.