The Malawi under-17 national football team has been drawn in Group C of the Cosafa Championship scheduled for Mauritius in July.
The draw for the competition took place at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, on Thursday.
Flames Coach, Ronny van Geneugden, took part in it.
The draw saw 12 teams split into three groups of four each, with Malawi’s group comprising Angola, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Group A consists of Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia and Seychelles whereas holders Zambia are in Group B alongside Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa.
The young Flames also met Swaziland and Angola in the qualifiers of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations championship.
Speaking after conducting the draw, Cosafa Organising Committee Chairperson, Timothy Shongwe, hailed Mauritius for committing to host the competition for three consecutive years.
Shongwe said this year’s champion will automatically qualify for the Confederation of African Football Under-17 Championship which Tanzania will host next year.
Reacting to the draw, Football Association of Malawi Vice-President, James Mwenda, who is in South Africa, said the association will ensure that Malawi prepare thoroughly for the junior championship to help the players to perform better.
“It looks a simple group on paper but all these countries have sound youth programs. It is a tough group for sure, but we are ready to face our opponents,” Mwenda said.
Malawi under-17, which Derklerk Msakakuona coaches, won Cosafa bronze in 2016 and 2017 in Mauritius.
The team has produced stars such as Hadji Wali and Peter Banda who play for the under-20 national football team, which is two games away from qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Victory over South Africa in two-legged encounters next month will ensure that Malawi qualify for the 2019 finals in Niger.
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