Uganda confirm Malawi friendly

Malawi national football team will play Uganda Cranes in a warm up match ahead of Tanzania clash in the World Cup qualifier.

The Flames will play the game on October 4 just three days before facing highly rated Tanzania who held Africa powerhouse Nigeria to a goalless draw in the Africa Cup of Nations three weeks ago.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) General Secretary Suzgo Nyirenda said the friendly will only involve local based players because the game will be played on a not Fifa sanctioned date.

“Uganda has confirmed to play against the Flames before facing Tanzania. This is a morale booster because it will help the coach to assess the players ahead of the game,” Nyirenda said.

He also allayed fears that the friendly could pose injury risk to the players.

This will be the second meeting for the two countries after the July 6 game to mark Malawi`s 51st independence anniversary.

Malawi is preparing for the 2018 World Cup qualification first-round tie away against the neighbours on October 7 with the second leg set for Kamuzu Stadium five days later.

The Flames and other 25 teams, from position 28 to 53 according to July Fifa ranking, will participate in the first round with 13 winners advancing to the second round. If successful against Tanzania, Malawi will face North Africans Algeria in second round.

The 13 teams then join 27 top-ranked teams on the continent to play home-and-away over two legs with the 20 winners advancing to the third round.

The 20 teams will be divided into five groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches and five group winners will qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.