As excitement builds for the 2025 edition of the Airtel Top 8, Airtel Malawi has given teams and fans more reason to cheer by increasing the tournament’s prize money.
The grand prize for the Champions of the Airtel Top 8 Zamadolo has been bumped up to K35 million, a K5 million increase from last year’s K30 million. Runners-up will also enjoy a bigger reward, now taking home K12 million compared to the K10 million awarded in 2024.
In a statement released ahead of the tournament opener, Airtel also announced that the participation fee for each of the eight teams has been raised to K3 million from K2.5 million. Meanwhile, the Man of the Match award has gone up from K100,000 to K115,000 per game.
The eighth edition of the highly anticipated competition which has taken place this afternoon at Kamuzu Stadium, where defending champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets has drawn with creck football club.
Its interesting on how Creck conceding four goals to Dedza Dynamos in Mponela a week back, few would have predicted Creck Sporting’s dramatic turnaround. Yet, under the bright lights of Kamuzu Stadium and facing the formidable FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, the debutants showed a level of tactical maturity that stunned fans and pundits alike.
All signs pointed to a rout. The Bullets, domestic football royalty, were heavily tipped to dismantle the newcomers in front of a roaring home crowd. But Creck, under the astute guidance of head coach Joseph Kamwendo, had other ideas.
Kamwendo crafted a game plan built on discipline and defensive organization. Instead of engaging in an open contest, Creck dropped deep, stayed compact, and expertly closed down the spaces that Bullets typically exploit. The result? A hard-fought draw that felt more like a victory for the underdogs.
It was a reminder of football’s unpredictability and the brilliance that can come from tactical insight. For the fans who filled the stands and spent their precious two tambala, it was an afternoon well spent—football, once again, proving its magic.