World Cup
European club finals heroes adjust sights to World Cup in Africa
European club finals match-winners Ademola Lookman and Ayoub el Kaabi turn their attention to 2026 World Cup qualifying in Africa from Wednesday with 52 fixtures scheduled over seven days.
Lookman scored a hat-trick as Atalanta won the Europa League last month, and ended a 51-match unbeaten run by Bayer Leverkusen in domestic and international competitions.
The London-born 26-year-old could lead the Nigeria attack at home to South Africa in Uyo in a repeat of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals won by the Super Eagles on penalties.
A week after Lookman stole the show in Dublin, Moroccan El Kaabi nodded the extra-time winner for Olympiakos against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in Athens.
He will be a contender for a place in the Atlas Lions attack against Zambia in Agadir in another Cup of Nations repeat with Morocco winning 1-0 in the Ivory Coast last January.
Meanwhile, Kenya are among 17 nations who must stage home matches at neutral venues due to sub-standard venues, stadium renovations or security issues.
Here, AFP Sport highlights five matchday three showdowns that include shock 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco and reigning African champions the Ivory Coast.
Nigeria v South Africa
A powerful Nigerian attack will lack its biggest star — 2023 African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen — through injury and Nathan Tella is absent for undisclosed personal reasons.
But with Lookman, Victor Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho and Samuel Chukwueze to choose from, coach and former star Finidi George is not short of talent as he prepares for his competitive debut.
South Africa welcome back forward Lyle Foster from demoted Premier League club Burnley, who missed the Cup of Nations due to mental health challenges.
Egypt v Burkina Faso
Prolific Liverpool scorer Mohamed Salah is set to represent Egypt for the first time since an injury against Ghana in a group match cut short his AFCON campaign.
“Mohamed is one of the best footballers in the world and there is no rift between us,” said coach Hossam Hassan, who replaced Portuguese Rui Vitoria after a last-16 exit in the Ivory Coast.
When Salah was injured, Hassan said the star should remain with the national squad in west Africa, but the forward returned to his club for treatment.
Morocco v Zambia
A Hakim Ziyech goal separated the teams at the latest AFCON, where Morocco suffered a shock last-16 loss to South Africa and Zambia failed to make the knockout stage.
Key Moroccan figures in the 2022 World Cup run in Qatar, including goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, defender Achraf Hakimi and forward Youssef en-Nesyri remain.
Coach Walid Regragui also called up Brahim Diaz, an attacking midfielder at European titans Real Madrid for the clash with Zambia, who are on the back foot after a surprise away loss to Niger.
Senegal v DR Congo
Defending champions and among the favourites to win the 2024 AFCON, Senegal only reached the round of 16 before falling to hosts Ivory Coast after a penalty shootout.
Stalwarts like goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and forward Sadio Mane — all based in Saudi Arabia — remain as the Teranga Lions seek redemption in World Cup qualifying.
The Congolese exceeded expectations by finishing fourth at the AFCON this year and hope Yoane Wissa can replicate his form with Premier League outfit Brentford.
Cote d’Ivoire v Gabon
Coach Emerse Fae has given maiden call-ups to a France-based trio — defender Christopher Operi and forwards Mohamed Bamba and Evann Guessand — for a Korhogo clash with Gabon.
But there are no places in the Cup of Nations title-holders squad for defenders Serge Aurier and Eric Bailly due to a lack of club game time, and winger Wilfried Zaha remains out of favour.
Star Marseille forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — voted the outstanding African after the 2023-2024 Ligue 1 season — has been recalled having missed the first two matchdays.
-AFP
Russia-based forward Olakunle Olusegun is still awaiting an entry visa to South Africa, creating the possibility that Nigeria may prosecute the encounter with only 21 available players.
Friday’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying encounter at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa.
Head Coach Eric Sekou Chelle will have a total of 20 players available for Wednesday’s second training session, as the Super Eagles intensify preparations for the tie against the Crocodiles.
By Tuesday night, 18 players had checked into the team’s camp at The Ranch Hotel in Polokwane, with Portugal-based defender Zaidu Sanusi and Spain-based forward Jerome Akor Adams expected to join on Wednesday. United States-based midfielder Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi is due to arrive on Thursday.
Chelle has had to adjust his squad following injuries to Bright Osayi-Samuel and Cyriel Dessers, prompting the late inclusion of Zaidu Sanusi and Christantus Uche of Crystal Palace. Earlier, a knock to wing-back Felix Agu had reduced the initial 23-man roster to 22.
Team captain William Ekong lacing his boots for training in Polokwane on Tuesday
Friday’s Matchday 9 fixture will kick off at 6pm South Africa time (5pm Nigeria time) at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium, as the Super Eagles aim to strengthen their position in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying race.
21 SUPER EAGLES TO BATTLE LESOTHO IN POLOKWANE
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania); Adeleye Adebayo (Volos FC, Greece)
Defenders: William Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (Hull City, England); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece); Benjamin Fredericks (Dender FC, Belgium)
Midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA); Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas FC, Turkey); Christantus Uche (Crystal Palace, England)
Forwards: Ademola Lookman (Atalanta BC, Italy); Samuel Chukwueze (Fulham FC, England); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Simon Moses (Paris FC, France); Tolu Arokodare (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France); Jerome Akor Adams (Sevilla FC, Spain)
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The Cape Verde Islands are one win away from a World Cup place that confirms the promise they have shown in recent years but would have been scarcely believable 20 years ago.
The wind-swept island archipelago, off the west coast of Africa, with a population of around 600,000, will become the second smallest country after Iceland to qualify if they win one of their last two qualifiers over the next week.
They are away to Libya on Wednesday before a home clash with Eswatini on Monday in which to ensure top spot in Group D and beat much-fancied Cameroon to the automatic qualifying spot for next year’s tournament in North America.
Cape Verde reached the last stages of qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but were deducted points for erroneously fielding a suspended player, thereby missing out on the playoffs where they would also have been two games away from reaching the finals.
In their debut Africa Cup of Nations finals appearance in 2013, Cape Verde reached the quarter-finals, prompting their coach to burst into song at the post-match press conference, and they did so again at the last edition in the Ivory Coast, unlucky to be eliminated on penalties.
Two decades ago, however, they had barely played any international football, averaging two games a year from 1986, when they joined FIFA, to 1990 when they competed in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time ranked 182nd in the world.
The progress since has been rapid, driven by actively finding players from the Diaspora around the world.
TALENT IDENTIFICATION PAYING OFF
“The football association devised new strategies around identifying and recruiting talent throughout the large Cape Verdean communities,” said U.S.-based agent Tony Araujo, who was born on the islands and worked closely with the team over decades.
“The talent identification and global recruitment process started to pay off huge dividends around 2013, when they qualified for their first Cup of Nations final.”
Scarce natural resources and an arid landscape have long caused migration from the islands, stretching back to the Portuguese colonial period.
Migrants left in droves for Portugal as well as other destinations, like the U.S. eastern seaboard and Dutch port of Rotterdam.
The squad for this week’s fixtures has six Dutch-born players plus others born in Portugal, France, and Ireland. Shamrock Rovers’ Roberto “Pico” Lopes, who will play in central defence, was among many scouted and approached, some more creatively than others.
“I set up a LinkedIn profile when I was in college but never really looked at it,” Lopes told Reuters.
“I got a message from the then coach Rui Aguas, but he wrote to me in Portuguese. I thought it was spam and took no notice.
“Then about nine months later, he messaged me back, saying, ‘Hi Roberto, have you had a chance to consider what I said to you?’ I copied the message into Google Translate. And it basically said that, ‘we’re looking at getting new players into the Cape Verde squad and would you be interested in declaring for Cape Verde? I was absolutely buzzing with that! I was like, ‘yep, 100% I’d love to be a part of the squad’,” he recalled.
In the past, it was hard for the team to attract top European-based Cape Verdean talent, Araujo said.
SUCCESS HAS ATTRACTED NEW PLAYERS
“But with new waves of recent success, a lot more European-based talents are inclined to choose Cape Verde to showcase their talents at the international level.”
Victory in Tripoli on Wednesday will be tough, but if unsuccessful they will be heavily fancied to secure qualification on Monday with home success against the Swazis.
Beating Cameroon last month set off celebrations across the islands, and those will surely be repeated with vigour should they secure a World Cup spot.
-Reuters
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Egypt will look to confirm their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they face Djibouti in a Group A clash of the African qualifiers this Wednesday in Morocco.
The Pharaohs, who have appeared at the global finals three times — in 1934, 1990 and 2018 — need only two points from their remaining two matches to seal qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Currently top of Group A with 20 points, Egypt hold a five-point lead over second-placed Burkina Faso, who will also be in action away to Sierra Leone on Wednesday.
A victory on Wednesday would all but guarantee Egypt’s qualification and pave the way for celebrations in Cairo when they host Guinea-Bissau in their final qualifier on Sunday.
On paper, Hossam Hassan’s men are overwhelming favourites against bottom-placed Djibouti, who have collected just one point from eight matches and have been forced to host home fixtures outside their country due to stadium accreditation issues with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Head coach Hossam Hassan has kept faith with most of the players who featured in September’s matches against Ethiopia (2–0) and Burkina Faso (0–0). Star forward Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, and veteran goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy headline the squad.
The only notable absentee is Omar Marmoush of Manchester City, who is sidelined with a knee injury picked up early in the draw against Burkina Faso.
Hassan — the man whose goal sent Egypt to the 1990 World Cup as a player — is now seeking to etch his name in history as one of the few to qualify for the tournament both as a player and coach.
Liverpool talisman Salah, who has gone three Premier League games without a goal, will be eager to rediscover his scoring touch, while Trezeguet is expected to share more attacking responsibility following his impressive run with Al Ahly.
Both Salah and Trezeguet, alongside El-Shennawy, will be aiming for a second World Cup appearance, having featured at Russia 2018.
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