Angu Lesley Ngwa Akonwi
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Equatorial Guinea have failed to travel to Malawi for Thursday evening’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, prompting uncertainty over the Group H fixture.
The team, led by head coach Juan Micha Obiang, remains in the capital Malabo, where they are currently staying at a hotel in the Sipopo neighbourhood.
The squad had been scheduled to depart on Wednesday morning, but the trip was abruptly called off for reasons that have not yet been disclosed.
Equatorial Guinea’s football federation convened an emergency meeting on Thursday and is expected to hold further discussions with state officials in a bid to resolve the issue. FIFA has been formally notified of the situation.
Malawi had been set to host the match at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe as part of the CAF second-round qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, to be jointly held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Sanctions impact
Equatorial Guinea have already faced a major setback in the current qualifying campaign, having been sanctioned by FIFA in May for fielding an ineligible player, Emilio Nsue, during the early rounds. As a result, the team forfeited two matches — both originally wins — which were overturned and recorded as 3-0 defeats.
The sanctions have significantly affected Equatorial Guinea’s position in the group standings, stripping them of crucial points and damaging their goal difference. Nsue, who was the top scorer at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, also received a six-month suspension from all international fixtures.
Qualification outlook
With Tunisia currently leading Group H, the battle for the top spot — which guarantees automatic qualification — has become more intense. Namibia sit in second, while Malawi and Equatorial Guinea are level on points but trail the leaders by a notable margin.
Both Malawi and Equatorial Guinea now face an uphill battle to qualify, with only a handful of fixtures remaining. Malawi, who hold a slight edge on goal difference, may benefit if the match is awarded in their favour due to Equatorial Guinea’s failure to travel. However, they would still require positive results in their remaining games and hope for slip-ups from teams above them.
Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, have been left with little margin for error. The combination of off-field issues and FIFA sanctions has left their qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) are yet to comment on the status of the cancelled match or potential disciplinary action related to the no-show.
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