Ministry of Youth and Sports says Malawi stands to benefit from hosting Kenya’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe.

The Harambee Stars requested to play their home qualifiers against Burundi on June 8 and Ivory Coast three days later at the venue after their stadia fell short of Confederation of African Football (CAF) minimum requirements.

Kenya in action against the Flames during the Four Nations Tournament earlier this year

Ministry of Youth and Sports spokesperson MacMillan Mwale in an interview said the matches are now confirmed for BNS.

He said: “Malawi stands to benefit through foreign exchange as Kenya will pay to use the stadium and the three teams will also pay our hotels for the duration of their stay.

“Apart from that, it’s also entertainment to Malawians on the match days. It will also enhance international cooperation between Malawi and Kenya.”

This is the second time for a foreign team to play its home matches at BNS.

Last year, Ethiopia also used the facility for their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt.

The ministry made a fortune from the deal as the Ethiopian Football Federation hired out the facility.

However, Mwale said it is not automatic that they will make the same arrangement with Kenya Football Federation.

He said: “We are very much in touch and discussions are in progress on logistics and organisation of the match.

“However, it is not yet confirmed [that they will hire the facility] as proposals are going either way within discussions on what can be the best arrangement.”

Football Association of Malawi competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka in an interview said they are considering several options on the logistics.

“When we hosted Ethiopia, the Sports Ministry indeed hired out the facility while the other match-day expenses were paid from the gate revenue.

“FAM and the ministry shared the net. But this time around we are looking at several options. We will be finalising very soon.”

The post Malawi hopes to cash in on Kenya’s World Cup qualifiers first appeared on Nation Online.

The post Malawi hopes to cash in on Kenya’s World Cup qualifiers appeared first on Nation Online.