Malawi set for first-ever meeting with Sao Tome and Principe

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Jun 05, 2024. 11:08

Malawi head coach Patrick Mabedi is giving home-based players a chance to impress this month, starting with the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Thursday, June 6.

Kick-off is at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

Mabedi’s 26-man squad is made up mostly of players from Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers, with just six included who play their trade outside the country.

The Flames are fourth in Group H after picking up three points from their opening two matches, having beaten Liberia 1-0 on their travels on November 17 before losing to Tunisia by the same scoreline on home soil four days later.

The Eagles of Carthage and Namibia both have a 100 per cent record and boast a three-point lead over the Lone Stars and Mabedi’s side going into matchday 3.

The Falcons and True Parrots are looking to put their first points on the board in the group after suffering back-to-back defeats in November.

Adriano Eusebio’s side were on the wrong end of a 4-0 thumping at the hands of Tunisia in Tunis, but they gave a better account of themselves in a 2-0 loss to the Brave Warriors in Agadir, Morocco.

The island minnows would gave been bottom of the group if not for the intervention of FIFA, who deemed Emilio Nsue ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea as they had to forfeit their opening two games against Namibia and Liberia after the striker scored the winner in both qualifiers.