Cranes look to seal Nations Cup spot in Blantyre

Uganda will be looking to secure their spot in the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations when they finish their Group B campaign away to Malawi on Monday evening.

The visitors are currently second in their section behind already-qualified Burkina Faso, while Malawi occupy third spot, one point behind Uganda ahead of this key encounter.

Malawi are bidding to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations for the third time in their history, having previously competed in the finals in both 1984 and 2010.

Meke Mwase’s side opened their Group B campaign with a 1-0 victory over South Sudan but then suffered back-to-back defeats to the top two sides in the section, Uganda and Burkina Faso

A draw at home to Burkina Faso followed in November 2020 before recording a 1-0 victory away to South Sudan on Wednesday courtesy of a second-half effort from Richard Mbulu.

Malawi occupy third spot in the group, one point behind second-placed Uganda, meaning that they will need to win on Monday to ensure their spot in the finals of the competition, which begins in January 2022.

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Uganda, meanwhile, have not failed to qualify for the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations since 2015, and they reached the round of 16 in the 2019 competition, ultimately losing 1-0 to Senegal.

The Cranes have never won the tournament, but they were runners-up in 1978, and it would be a surprise if they were unable to secure their position in the finals, with a draw on Monday enough to advance.