DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The state-of-the-art Mbombela Stadium in neighbouring Mpumalanga will host the Sihlangu clash with Togo on June 18, 2023.
The two nations will face off on match day to qualify for the AFCON games taking place next year in Ivory Coast.
This was confirmed by Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe.
He said the game was going to be played at 7 pm and they were banking on Sihlangu to win, so they could further face off with Burkina Faso.
“There are chances for us to win, each game has seven points, and the team is currently, training hard.
Worth noting is that this will be a happy return for the senior football national team in Mbombela as they outclassed Somalia at the very same venue during the preliminary rounds in March.
Currently, home to Dstv Premiership side TS Galaxy, the stadium has a seating capacity of 43 500. The main features of the stadium are the 18 majestic orange giraffe columns that support the roof structure and the black and white Zebra skin-patterned seating.
The construction cost of the stadium was E1.2 billion and its cost per covered seat was the lowest of the World Cup Stadium constructed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup staged in South Africa. The Somhlolo National Stadium remains banned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is currently undergoing renovations that have reached in excess of E45 million.
