The Malawi Women’s National Football Team, the Scorchers, will face Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors in the first preliminary round of the 2028 Los Angeles Women’s Football/African Qualifiers.
This follows results of the draw which was conducted at the Confederation of African Football (Caf) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday.
Malawi will start the qualifiers at home on October 5, 2026 before travelling to Zimbabwe for the second leg a week later.
The two teams last met at a Three Nations Tournament in which the Mighty Warriors triumphed 2-1 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe in December last year.
Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Operations Director Gomezgani Zakazaka welcomed results of the draw.
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“We have to discuss [the issue] with the coach [Lovemore Fazili] and plan for the matches,” he said.
Fazili was not readily available for his comment Wednesday.
There will be five rounds of matches in the qualifiers, with the top two teams in Africa qualifying for 2028 Games.
The winner between Malawi and Zimbabwe will face either Kenya or Seychelles in the third round.
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The Scorchers return to the Olympic qualifiers after seven years of absence.
Malawi last participated in the qualifiers in 2019 and eliminated Mozambique in the first round following a 14-1 win over the Mambas Ladies on aggregate.
Then, the Scorchers recorded a 11-1 victory in the first leg at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre before registering a 3-1 win in the second leg in Maputo, Mozambique.
The Scorchers were eliminated from the qualifiers after suffering a 3-1 loss to Kenya in the second round.
Malawi’s Scorchers have never qualified for the Olympic Games.
Sports analyst Parry Chinyama described the draw as tricky.
“It is a tricky draw for the Scorchers. Zimbabwe are no longer pushovers. As such, they need to prepare well for the match,” he said.
The Scorchers are preparing for their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) finals appearance, with the finals scheduled for July 25 to August 16 in Morocco.
The team is in Group C alongside champions Nigeria, Zambia and Egypt.
Two weeks ago, the team finished bottom at the Fifa Women’s Series in Nairobi, Kenya, after suffering two losses to Australia and India.
The team lost 5-0 to Australia before suffering a 3-2 loss to India.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe coach Sithethelwe Sibanda has said they are ready for the test.
“These matches are decided by small details. We have to stay organised, take our chances and remain focused over the full 180 minutes. Playing away from home will test us but we must embrace that challenge,” she is quoted as saying on the Zifa official Facebook page.
