Malawi - List of Champions


The first football match in Nyasaland was played in 1896, Zomba Gymkhana Club 0-2 Blantyre Sports Club. The same two clubs met again in 1911 (Blantyre Sports Club 5-2 Zomba Gymkhana Club) and 1925 (Blantyre Sports Club 11-5 Zomba Gymkhana Club).
Prior to independence, there were two federations, the Nyasaland Football Association (NFA) for "white" clubs and the Nyasa African Football Association (NAFA) for "black" clubs. In 1938, the NAFA founded the Shire Highlands Football League (SHFL), whose second edition started in June 10, 1939, with 16 clubs from Limbe, Blantyre, Ntenjela and Chileka. In 1952, the NAFA had 20 teams divided over 3 regional sections. The NFA was formed on March 14, 1948.

In 1961, a league championship of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (corresponding to current Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) was organised but aborted.


NFA League

NB: called Royle League for sponsorhip reasons starting from the second (1948/49)
    season; after the NFA and NAFA merged into the Malawi FA in October 1964, it
    was replaced by the (Blantyre) City and Suburban League (CSL).

Season  Champions                         Runners-Up             

1948    Blantyre SC                       Mlanje
1948/49 Mlanje                            Blantyre SC 
1949/50 Mlanje                            Athletics   
1950/51 Blantyre SC                       Zomba GC                  
1951/52 Blantyre SC                       Zomba GC
1952/53 Zomba GC                          Limbe Wanderers   
1953/54 Corona                            Blantyre SC   
1954/55 Corona                            Blantyre SC               
1955/56 Blantyre SC                       Sunnyside Rovers
1956/57 Limbe CC                          Blantyre SC               
1957/58 Zomba GC                          Cholo    
1958/59 Blantyre SC                       Limbe CC
1959/60 Blantyre SC                       Olympia 
1960/61 Olympia                           Callies
1961/62 Limbe CC                          Blantyre SC                          
1962/63 Limbe CC                          Olympia                  
1963/64 Limbe CC                            not determined

Number of Wins (17; runners-up finishes (16) between square brackets)

 6 [ 5] Blantyre Sports Club

 4 [ 1] Limbe Country Club

 2 [ 2] Zomba Gymkhana Club
 2 [ 1] Mlanje  
 2      Corona  

 1 [ 2] Olympia 

   [ 1] Athletics 
   [ 1] Callies
   [ 1] Cholo
   [ 1] Limbe Wanderers
   [ 1] Sunnyside Rovers

NB: only Blantyre SC, Limbe CC and Zomba GC entered all 17 competitions;
    Indian SC withdrew in 1961 after having played 14 seasons, while the
      fifth founding member, Mlanje, withdrew after six seasons;
    Cholo played for 12 seasons, withdrawing for 1952/53 but reapplying
      for the next season;
    Athletics only entered in 1949/50 (when they finished second);
    Limbe Wanderers played 3 seasons, from 1950/51 to 1952/53, withdrawing
      after their first ever runners-up finish;
    Sunnyside Rovers played 5 seasons, from 1951/52 to 1955/56, withdrawing
      after their first ever runners-up finish;
    Nyasaland Railways withdrew after first entering in 1950/51 but were
      readmitted in 1958;
    in 1954/55 Blantyre SC were allowed to enter a reserve ("B") side;
    Goans Social Club (1949/50 and 1950/51) and Callies (1960/61 and 1961/62)
      both entered in two seasons only;
    Olympia first entered in 1959/60, playing the last five seasons;
    Rovers, one of the first mixed-race teams, first entered in 1962/63,
      playing the last two seasons;
    in both 1950/51 and 1960/61 the league comprised 9 teams (the highest 
      ever number) while in 11 other seasons there were 7 or 8 teams;
    Limbe Wanderers not connected to later Limbe Leaf Wanderers (which
      arose out of Portuguese Wanderers, the first champions (1964/65)
      of the (Blantyre) City and Suburban League which succeeded the NFA
      League).

Shire Highlands African Football League

Season  Champions 

1942      not known
1952      not known
1953      not known
1954      not known

Blantyre & District Champions

1964/65 Portuguese Wanderers
1965/66 Zomba Town
1966/67 Wanderers

National Champions

1967/68 Yamaha Wanderers
1968/69 Yamaha Wanderers
1970    Bata Bullets
1971    Bata Bullets
1972    Bata Bullets
1973    Yamaha Wanderers
1974    Bata Bullets
1975    Bata Bullets
1976    Yamaha Wanderers
1977    Hardware Stars
1978    Bata Bullets
1979    Bata Bullets
1980    Limbe Leaf Wanderers
1981    Bata Bullets
1982    ADMARC Tigers
1983    Berec Power
1984    Bata Bullets
1985    Silver Strikers
1986    Bata Bullets
1987    Silver Strikers
1988    Bata Bullets
1989    MITCO (Lilongwe)
1990    Sucoma (Chikwawa)
1991    Bata Bullets

Super League Champions

NB: first edition 1986 with 8 clubs, as Gillette Nacet Super League 

1986    Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1987    CIVO United (Lilongwe)     
1988    MDC United (Lilongwe)
1989    Admarc Tigers (Blantyre)
1990    Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1991    Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1992    Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1993    Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1994    Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1995    Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1995/96 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1996/97 Telecom Wanderers (Blantyre)
1997/98 Telecom Wanderers (Blantyre)      
1998/99 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1999/00 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
2000/01 Total Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2001/02 Total Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2002/03 Bakili Bullets (Blantyre)
2004    Bakili Bullets (Blantyre) 
2005/06 Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2006    MTL Wanderers (Blantyre)
2007    ESCOM United (Blantyre)  
2008    Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2009/10 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2010/11 ESCOM United (Blantyre)  
2011/12 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2012/13 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2013/14 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2014    Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2015    Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2016    Kamuzu Barracks (Zomba)
2017    Be Forward Wanderers (Blantyre)
2018    Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2019    Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2020/21 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)   
2022    Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre) 
2023    Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre) 

Number of Titles (only Super League Champions since 1986) (37):

17 Bullets (Blantyre) [includes Bata/Total Big/Bakili/Nyasa Big Bullets] 
 
 8 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)

 6 Wanderers (Blantyre) [includes Limbe Leaf/Telecom/MTL/Be Forward Wanderers]

 2 ESCOM United (Blantyre)  

 1 Admarc Tigers (Blantyre)
   Civo United (Lilongwe)
   Kamuzu Barracks (Zomba)
   MDC United (Lilongwe)


About this document

Thanks to Mario Antoine and Barry Baker

Sources included: [Ant 22], [Tra 02], FA of Malawi

Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 3 Dec 2023

(C) Copyright Hans Schöggl and RSSSF 1998/2023
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.