World Cup
Gruelling African World Cup qualifying gets under way
More places for Africa at the next World Cup finals has not lessened the intensity of the qualifying process, often described as the toughest in world football, and which kicks off this week.
Qualification for the 2026 tournament has begun in Asia and South America, and Africa starts its two-year qualifying campaign on Wednesday to determine who will fill the nine automatic places for the continent at the event co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S.
The expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams means Africa’s quotas of finalists is increased from five to nine, with the possibility of another place through a new playoff system that has been introduced.
The long distances to travel, combined with poor and infrequent flight connections, extreme climatic conditions, Spartan facilities and a culture of hostility towards visiting teams have earned Africa’s qualifying process a reputation for being the hardest of the six continental confederations.
Carlos Queiroz, who coached Colombia, Egypt, Iran, Portugal, South Africa and now Qatar, once described the African preliminaries as “a nightmare”.
For the 2026 World Cup, the 54 African entrants were divided into nine groups with only the winners assured of a place at the finals.
The four best-ranked runners-up will participate in a playoff to determine one team that will go onto the new-style intercontinental playoff tournament, in which one side from each continent will meet in a mini tournament to determine the last two places in the World Cup line-up
A total of 13 African countries, starting with Egypt in 1934, have played at the World Cup finals. Cameroon are the most frequent participants with eight finals appearances.
They begin their campaign with a home match in Douala on Friday against Mauritius before a more testing trip to Libya next Tuesday in Group D.
Morocco, who last year became the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals, were supposed to start against Eritrea on Thursday, but the small east African nation has withdrawn.
HERMIT COUNTRY
No reason was given but the hermit country on the horn of Africa has previously seen players defect and seek political asylum when they have gone abroad to compete.
Morocco’s first match in Group E is next Tuesday’s visit to Tanzania, who they also face in January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.
Zimbabwe, kicked out of the last qualifiers because they had failed to settle the contract of a former coach, return from another ban, this time for political meddling in the running of their football association, to face Rwanda away on Wednesday in the first of the 260 African group qualifiers which end in October 2025
Zimbabwe have not played a full international in almost two years and are among 19 countries whose facilities have been condemned as not up to international standard and been forced to move their home games to a neutral venue.
Zimbabwe will stay in Rwanda after Wednesday’s opening Group C match and host Nigeria there on Sunday.
The others banned from playing at home are Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Namibia, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan.
–Reuters
A football commentator has been stripped of his World Cup credentials by FIFA after an expletive-laden tirade against the organisation and match officials during Paraguay’s 1-0 victory over Turkey in which Miguel Almiron was sent off.
Jorge Chipi Vera lost his composure on live television when Paraguay’s Almiron became the first player sent off at the tournament for violating a new rule that forbids players from covering their mouths during on-field confrontations.
Almiron was dismissed for remarks made to Turkey’s Mert Muldur with his hand covering his mouth in first-half stoppage time.
The furious broadcaster called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the referee “thieves”, accusing them of “killing football” as Paraguay were reduced to 10 men, but he later apologised and said on X late on Monday that his accreditation had been cancelled.
“During the broadcast of the match between Paraguay and Turkey, I had an outburst,” Vera said in his lengthy apology.
“In the midst of my frustration over the expulsion of a player from my country, and feeling that my national team was being harmed, I used offensive and unacceptable expressions against the referee, FIFA, and its authorities.”
Vera said the sanction meant he can no longer participate in his media outlet’s World Cup coverage “either inside the stadiums or outside them” and it covers “any type of participation or coverage related to the World Cup”.
FIFA declined to comment, but a source familiar with the matter said the governing body considered Vera’s language unacceptable and his actions inconsistent with the standards of professionalism expected of accredited broadcast personnel.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
The source suggested that, while FIFA had no problem with freedom of speech against the laws of the game, Vera’s repeated use of a highly offensive Spanish phrase directed at FIFA officials was viewed as particularly shocking.
FIFA banning journalists from tournaments is extremely rare.
Under former President Sepp Blatter, freelance investigative reporter Andrew Jennings was barred from all FIFA events following his allegations of corruption in soccer’s global governing body, many of which were subsequently vindicated in the U.S. courts.
Vera, who works for ABC Cardinal and ABC TV, also apologised to sponsors that support the platforms’ coverage and said he had sent a letter of apology to FIFA, taking full responsibility for his actions.
“Questioning a rule or disagreeing with a refereeing decision never justifies losing control the way I did,” he added.
“I failed you in something fundamental: maintaining the composure and respect that this profession requires.”
-Reuters
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Cristiano Ronaldo added another remarkable chapter to his legendary career by becoming the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in six different tournaments.
The Portugal captain reached the milestone when he opened the scoring in his country’s Group K match against Uzbekistan in Houston, finishing clinically from close range after a cross from João Cancelo.
The goal ended a frustrating run of 10 matches without scoring at major international finals and further strengthened Ronaldo’s place among football’s greatest players.
Fact File: Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup Milestone
- Historic Achievement: First player to score in six FIFA World Cups.
- World Cup Goals: Equalled Portugal legend Eusébio’s record of nine World Cup goals.
- World Cup Appearances: Featured in every World Cup from Germany 2006 to USA-Canada-Mexico 2026.
- Scored at the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
- International Goals: 144 goals, the highest total in men’s international football.
- International Caps: 230 appearances, a men’s world record.
- Opponent: Uzbekistan.
- Venue: Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas.
- Assist Provider: João Cancelo.
- Goal Type: Right-foot finish from six yards.
World Cup Timeline
- 2006 (Germany): First World Cup appearance and first World Cup goal.
- 2010 (South Africa): Scored in Portugal’s campaign.
- 2014 (Brazil): Added to his World Cup tally.
- 2018 (Russia): Produced one of the tournament’s iconic performances with a hat-trick against Spain.
- 2022 (Qatar): Became the first male player to score in five World Cups.
- 2026 (USA, Canada & Mexico): Extended the record to six World Cups.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo continues to rewrite football history, setting standards that may stand for generations.
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Ghana produced a disciplined defensive masterclass to hold England to a goalless draw in their FIFA World Cup Group L clash on Tuesday, strengthening the Black Stars’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage while frustrating one of the tournament favourites.
The result left both teams well placed heading into their final group matches, although England will feel they missed an opportunity to secure early qualification after opening their campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia.
For Ghana, however, the point was richly deserved after a resolute display that effectively neutralised England’s formidable attacking weapons.
Coach Carlos Queiroz made his intentions clear from the outset, setting up his side to deny space to Harry Kane and England’s creative players while looking to strike on the counterattack.
Playing under a steady drizzle, England dominated possession, enjoying nearly 80 per cent of the ball during the first half. Yet despite their territorial advantage, Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to penetrate Ghana’s compact defensive structure.
The Black Stars swarmed around Kane whenever he ventured into dangerous areas and closed down passing lanes with remarkable discipline.
Their effectiveness was reflected in a remarkable statistic: the opening 45 minutes became the first half of any match at the 2026 World Cup in which neither side managed a shot on target.
Tuchel had warned before the encounter that Ghana would be tactically well organised under Queiroz, who is appearing at his fifth FIFA World Cup as a coach and whose experience includes two spells as assistant manager at Manchester United.
England assistant coach Anthony Barry admitted at halftime that Ghana’s defensive approach had surprised the Three Lions.
“They are defending deep, deep, deep — probably deeper than we expected,” Barry observed, urging patience from England’s players.
As the match wore on, Tuchel turned to his bench in search of inspiration.
Bukayo Saka and Nico O’Reilly were introduced after 65 minutes, while Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze followed shortly afterwards. Marcus Rashford was later thrown into the fray as England intensified their search for a breakthrough.
Yet Ghana remained composed and organised.
Having snatched a dramatic last-gasp 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening match, the Black Stars also carried a threat of their own, particularly through the pace of Antoine Semenyo and substitute Prince Kwabena Adu on the counterattack.
England’s best opportunity finally arrived four minutes from time.
O’Reilly rose highest to meet a cross and sent a header crashing against the crossbar. The rebound fell kindly to Kane, but the England captain blasted over from close range in a miss that summed up his side’s frustrating evening.
England captain Harry Kane, midfielder Declan Rice and substitute Nico O’Reilly show their disappointment after the Three Lions were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by a resolute Ghana side in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L encounter at Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 23, 2026. Photos: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/David Butler II; Reuters/Peter Cziborra.
The Three Lions piled forward during the closing minutes, but Ghana’s defenders stood firm to secure a valuable point.
The draw leaves Ghana in a strong position heading into their decisive final group encounter against Croatia, while England will face Panama seeking the result that will guarantee progression.
For Queiroz and his players, the performance was another demonstration that tactical discipline and collective effort can still frustrate even the most talented opponents on football’s biggest stage.
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Paraguayan Broadcaster Expelled from World Cup Following Live TV Outburst
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