U-20 WWC (Q): Malawi coach Chombo-Sadiki strategises for Nigeria

Malawi under-20 women’s national team coach Maggie Chombo-Sadiki has explained what it would take for her girls to overcome their Nigerian counterparts in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup final qualifying round.

The Young Scorchers thrashed Guinea-Bissau 5-1 in Lilongwe on Saturday to date Nigeria in the two-legged final qualifying round.

What Malawi learned against Guinea-Bissau

Reflecting on her team’s performance against Guinea-Bissau at Bingu National Stadium, Chombo-Sadiki called for intensified preparations before taking on the Nigerians.

“We need enough time for preparations. When we played against Sudan, the girls had stayed for a long time without playing a friendly game. Now, I plead with the Football Association of Malawi to keep the girls busy, keep them in camp for one week and even arrange a friendly game before we face Nigeria,” the coach said.

The two-legged ties against Nigeria are scheduled for 1 and 10 May 2026, with the overall winner booking a ticket to the 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

The Malawians qualified for the final round via an aggregate score of 6-2 over two legs, following a one-all draw with Guinea-Bissau in the first-leg. Malawi joined Cameroon, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Benin and Nigeria in the final qualifying round.

How Guinea-Bissau threatened to spoil Malawi party

On Saturday, the West Africans had stunned the hosts with a second-minute goal from Lamarana Bari. Three minutes later, the Young Scorchers replied with Ascent Academy midfielder Victoria Mkwala’s equaliser.

Substitute Fatima Lali, also from Ascent Academy, scored twice then her club mate Mayamiko Mkandawire added the other goal to seal the emphatic victory.

Final Qualifying Round Fixtures

Nigeria vs. Malawi

Cameroon vs. Tanzania

Ghana vs. Uganda

Ivory Coast vs. Benin