The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) has shifted the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) Cosafa Qualifier from Mauritius to Mozambique.
Despote the venue changet, the tournament will still take place from September 18 to 27.
Cosafa said in a statement that Mozambique has now stepped in at short notice to host the competition after Mauritius pulled out for unspecified reasons.
The statement reads in part: Cosafa would like to thank the Mauritius Football Association and all stakeholders in Mauritius for the work that has already gone into preparations for the tournament and for their understanding regarding the change of host nation,” reads part of the statement.
“Cosafa also expresses its sincere appreciation to the Federação Moçambicana de Futebol and the relevant authorities and stakeholders in Mozambique for stepping in at short notice to host the competition and assist in ensuring the successful staging of the regional qualifier,” it said.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka confirmed the change and said Mozambique’s proximity to Malawi would make preparations and travel easier for the Junior Flames.
“Yes, the hosts have changed from Mauritius to Mozambique. For us, this is an advantage in terms of logistics because Mozambique is our neighbour and it is much easier to travel there than going to Mauritius,” he said.
Malawi is in Group C alongside 12-time champions Zambia, Comoros and Botswana while defending champions South Africa and Angola placed in Group B alongside Lesotho and Eswatini.
Mauritius were drawn in Group A with Namibia, Seychelles and Mozambique.
The Junior Flames go into the competition as losing finalists in last year’s edition and will be seeking to go one better this time around.
The top team in each of the three groups will advance to the semi-finals, alongside the best runner-up.
The two finalists will qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations finals, which will be staged in Ghana next year.
