All eyes will be on the Malawi Under 20 Women’s National Team, the Young Scorchers, as they host Guinea-Bissau in the decisive return leg of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers at Bingu National Stadium on Saturday.
The tie remains finely poised following a 1–1 draw in the first leg played at Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau last week. With everything to play for, the winner on aggregate will secure passage to the final round of the qualifiers.
Playing in front of their home supporters, the Young Scorchers are determined to finish the job. Malawi can progress with a goalless draw, while Guinea Bissau will advance with any score draw of two goals or more, setting the stage for a potentially thrilling encounter.
Head coach Maggie Chombo stressed that the contest is far from settled.
“It was the first half in Guinea Bissau and now we are playing the second half at home. We ask the fans to come in large numbers and support us. We will not disappoint them,” said Maggie Chombo.
She revealed that lessons from the first leg have been addressed in training.
“The girls were a bit jittery in the first match but we have worked on boosting their confidence. We must play without pressure because we are at home,” she added.
Young Scorchers captain Leticia Chinyamula said the squad is fully aware of the magnitude of the match.
“It is a must win for us. We have worked very hard since we started camp. Playing in front of our home crowd will give us extra confidence,” she said.
Malawi reached this stage after eliminating South Sudan 3–1 on aggregate, following a 2–0 first leg victory in Juba and a 1–1 draw in the return leg. Before that, the Young Scorchers knocked out Central African Republic 4–2 on aggregate in the opening round.
The winner between Malawi and Guinea Bissau will meet either Nigeria or Senegal in the final qualifying round.
The finals of the 12th edition of the FIFA U 20 Women’s World Cup will be staged in Poland from 5 to 27 September 2026.
