Malawi’s participation in the inaugural Fifa Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan, has exposed glaring gaps in the country’s youth football development structures, particularly when compared with nations that have invested in grassroots football.

Malawi finished 79th overall out of 189 participating countries and 15th in Tier C after registering five victories over Chinese Taipei, Oman, Suriname, Hungary and Rwanda.

Takutzwa Maluwe emerged as Malawi’s leading scorer with eight goals, accounting for more than a third of the team’s total.

Jazaka Amidu, Elisha Nyirenda, Miracle Ndovie and Lameck Kamanga scored twice each while Sipho Ngwira added one.

Maluwe’s performance, particularly his goals against Oman, Suriname, Argentina, Luxembourg and Rwanda, demonstrated the attacking potential within Malawi’s youth ranks.

However, defeats against Algeria, Argentina, Luxembourg, Panama and Thailand exposed areas requiring significant improvement in Malawi’s youth football development programmes.

The biggest lesson from Baku is that international competitiveness is built through years of investment in coaching, facilities, nutrition, education and competitive opportunities.

Several players at the tournament came from renowned football development institutions.

Brazil’s Isaac Alves Miranda represented Santos Academy, France’s Kays El Mouttaqui came through Marseille, England’s Kobi Akerele was associated with Liverpool while Spain’s Mikel Lopez represented Real Madrid’s academy.

These institutions demonstrate the importance of identifying talent early and nurturing it through structured programmes.

Malawi has some promising foundations, notably Ascent Soccer Academy in Lilongwe and Football Association of Malawi-owned Luwinga Inclusive Academy in Mzuzu, both of which contributed six players each to the national squad.

Mpira M’mudzi Mwathu, owned by FAM executive member Chimango Munthali, has also made tremendous strides.

However, the country needs more residential, organised and adequately funded academies.

Namasala Academy owner Wesley Namasala, who accompanied the team to Azerbaijan, proposes establishing at least 10 residential academies across Malawi.

“My biggest observation is that we need to invest seriously in proper football academies,” he said.

He also highlighted differences in physical development between Malawian players and their European counterparts, observing that “most 14-year-olds from developed countries were more physically developed and stronger than our boys of the same age”.

Namasalsa stressed that “a short training camp before an international tournament cannot replace a strong foundation built throughout childhood”.

His observations underline the importance of sustained coaching, nutrition, strength and conditioning.

Interestingly, Zambia, which won Tier B after defeating Portugal 5-2, assembled its squad from 11 schools rather than relying exclusively on academies.

This demonstrates the potential of schools football as an alternative talent development pathway for Malawi.

A properly organised schools sports programme could identify talent from rural and urban communities, with promising players progressing into regional development centres and specialised academies.

On his part, Munthali believes the Fifa festival offered important lessons on how youth competitions should be structured.

Describing the event as a ‘Masterclass in Youth Football Development’, he argued that development should take precedence over winning trophies.

“At developmental ages, the number of meaningful matches played should be just as important as the final league standings,” said Munthali.

He also praised small-sided eight-a-side football because it provided “more touches on the ball, more one-on-one situations, more attacking and defensive transitions, and more opportunities to make decisions under pressure”.

Munthali urged FAM and the National Youth Football Association to consider incorporating these principles into domestic youth competitions.

Meanwhile, football analyst George Chiusiwa believes Malawi should celebrate the youngsters’ performances beyond their final position.

“We should be proud of the Malawi Under-15 boys for their stellar and brilliant football performances,” he said.

He described their performances as evidence of good technical preparation, noting that the team displayed “intelligent and exciting football”.

Chiusiwa urged stakeholders to build on the experience.

“Let’s hope we will utilise this solid foundation in these boys,” he said.

FAM president Fleetwood Haiya expressed satisfaction with the exposure gained by the youngsters.

“This is exactly the kind of platform we envisioned for our young players,” he said.

Haiya described the team’s five victories in 10 matches as an encouraging achievement.

However, the real test will be what happens after Azerbaijan.

Malawi’s 79th-place finish should not just be elebrated.

The greater value lies in the lessons learned.

FAM must work with government, academies, schools, corporate organisations and its  affiliates such as National Youth Football Association, to expand youth football investment, improve coaching standards and establish clear pathways from grassroots to senior football.