2026 World Cup (Q): Malawi vs Equatorial Guinea canceled, here's why | OneFootball

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2026 World Cup (Q)

The match scheduled between Malawi and Equatorial Guinea this Thursday evening has been canceled. We now know much more about this last-minute cancellation.

It's a major shock in these African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The game between Malawi and Equatorial Guinea, set for Thursday in Lilongwe, has been simply and outright canceled. The Equatorial Guinean players flatly refused to board the chartered plane, denouncing what they considered to be dangerous travel conditions and chaotic organization—this is at the heart of the decision.

It all began last Wednesday, when the charter flight meant to take the team ran into technical and logistical problems. According to the Equatorial Guinea Football Federation (Feguifut), the situation was resolved later in the evening. But for the players, the damage was done: in a statement published on the Nzalang Nacional's Instagram account, they asserted that traveling so late before a match "seriously endangers their physical health", highlighting the "poor organization" and "lack of communication" from their federation.

As a result, the team stayed at the hotel, the flight never took off, and FIFA confirmed the match was canceled. The consequences are severe: a forfeit defeat, loss of three points, and a multi-million fine for the Equatoguinean state. Head coach Juan Micha, deemed responsible for the crisis, has been suspended from his duties until further notice by the Ministry of Sports, following an emergency meeting of Feguifut's executive committee. On the sporting front, Equatorial Guinea (10 points) remains fifth in the group, while Malawi (13 points) retains fourth place.