19 September 2019 – There will be two venues used for the 2019 COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship in Blantyre, Malawi providing quality facilities for the regional showpiece event in this age-group.Here is a look at where the matches will be played.
KAMUZU STADIUM
The Kamuzu Stadium is an historic venue in Blantyre and one of the major venues in Malawi that has seen many magnificent matches down the years. The stadium has recently received an upgrade through FIFA’s GOAL project and has a state-of-the-art artificial surface installed that will make sure the players have a quality surface to display flowing football.
It is the home of top local side Big Bullets, who have won the last two domestic league titles in Malawi and are the most decorated club in the country’s history. Originally named the Rangeley Stadium after a British civil servant, it was renamed the Kamuzu Stadium after Malawi’s first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda.
The main stands were designed in 1968, with their unusual shape, and the venue was briefly renamed the Chichiri Stadium under then president Bakili Muluzi but was restored to Kamuzu Stadium in 2004. Current Malawi president Peter Mutharika had his inauguration ceremony at the venue in 2014, showing its significance to the country beyond football.
MPIRA STADIUM
The second stadium to be used at theCOSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship, when pool matches are played simultaneously in the final round of group games, will see the brand-new Mpira Stadium utilised.
The venue has been another beneficiary of FIFA development money and has seen the ground transformed into a 10,000-seater venue.
Renovations were made to the stands, changerooms and car park, making this a magnificent venue to host football games.
The renovations were approved by FIFA through their FIFA Forward programme in 2017 and work was completed this year.