World Cup
Listless Cameroon held by Eswatini after travel woes
Madagascar and Tunisia won away in World Cup qualification on Wednesday as two rounds of African group matches kicked off.
Still, Eswatini held Cameroon after poor travel arrangements caused them to arrive only hours before kick-off.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, who have been to more World Cup finals than any other African country, were held goalless by the small southern African kingdom who picked up their first point of the campaign.
It was a listless performance from a strong Cameroon side, including Premier League players Andre Onana and Bryan Mbeumo, but not surprising as they had only arrived at their hotel in the South African city of Nelspruit around 15 hours before kick-off.
They had planned to fly from Cameroon to Nelspruit, where Eswatini hosted the match because their own stadiums have been condemned as not up to international standard by the Confederation of African Football.
Because their charter left late, however, the Cameroon squad were unable to land at Nelspruit airport which had closed for the night.
They instead disembarked in Johannesburg, and had to wait three hours before making a five-hour bus journey to Nelspruit.
The draw left Cameroon on nine points at the halfway stage of the qualifying campaign, leading Group D but only two points above Libya and the Cape Verde Islands who have home games against Angola and Mauritius on Thursday.
Tunisia stretched their lead in Group H to five points as their league’s top scorer Hazem Mastouri scored in the fourth minute to secure a 1-0 away win over Liberia in Monrovia.
It was a winning start for Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi, back for a second stint in charge of the team
Madagascar’s new coach, former French international Corentin Martins, got his tenure off to a superb start as they won 4-1 at the Central African Republic, who were hosting the match in Casablanca.
Central African Republic defender Hugo Gambor scored in the ninth minute but Madagascar bounced back to seal a comfortable win, including two goals from Rayan Raveloson
Madagascar lead Group I with 10 points, one ahead of the Comoros and Ghana. Comoros play on Thursday against Mali and Ghana host Chad on Friday.
There are nine more African zone qualifiers scheduled for Thursday.
The winners of each of the nine groups qualify for the World Cup in North America next year, and the four best group runners go into a playoff competition, chasing one extra berth.
-Reuters
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Tunisia edged past Liberia 1-0, Madagascar cruised to a 4-1 win over the Central African Republic, while Cameroon were held to a shock goalless draw against Eswatini in their latest 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Hazem Mastouri’s early strike secured Tunisia’s hard-fought victory in Monrovia, keeping them top of Group H with 13 points.
Madagascar’s dominant display in Group I, led by Rayan Raveloson’s brace, propelled them to first place, while Cameroon’s failure to break down bottom-placed Eswatini leaves them frustrated in Group D.
Tunisia’s Early Strike Enough in Monrovia
Tunisia’s trip to Liberia proved successful as they secured a narrow 1-0 win at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Complex.
The Carthage Eagles struck early, with Mastouri finishing off a well-worked move in the fourth minute following high pressing from Hannibal Mejbri.
The visitors came close to doubling their lead, with Naïm Sliti hitting the crossbar before halftime.
Liberia, however, pushed for an equaliser, dominating possession but failing to break through Tunisia’s compact defensive setup.
Aymen Dahmen made crucial saves in the 37th and 41st minutes to deny the hosts.
In the second half, Tunisia absorbed pressure and nearly sealed the win late on through Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, who fluffed a golden opportunity.
The win cements Tunisia’s grip on Group H, with a clash against Malawi up next, while Liberia face Sao Tome and Principe.
Madagascar Run Riot in Group I
Madagascar produced a commanding 4-1 victory over the Central African Republic to claim the top spot in Group I.
The match began with an early shock as Gabor gave the Central Africans the lead in the ninth minute.
However, Madagascar responded emphatically, with captain Raveloson scoring twice before the break.
The Barea continued their dominance in the second half, adding two more goals to seal a resounding win.
Their solid defence nullified any hopes of a comeback for their opponents.
This crucial victory boosts Madagascar’s hopes of qualifying for their first-ever World Cup.
Cameroon Frustrated in Eswatini Stalemate
Meanwhile, Cameroon were left frustrated after being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom-placed Eswatini in Group D. The Indomitable Lions struggled to find a breakthrough, despite dominating possession.
The result keeps them at the top of the group with nine points from five matches but gives Eswatini their first point of the campaign.
The group’s other Matchday 5 fixtures will be played on Wednesday, with Cameroon needing to bounce back quickly to maintain their lead.
With qualification hopes at stake, Tunisia and Madagascar strengthened their positions, while Cameroon’s setback leaves them with work to do as the road to the 2026 World Cup intensifies.
-CAF
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Brazil coach Dorival Jr insists they are making progress despite sitting fifth in the standings ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Peru.
The five-time World Cup winners have been grappling with mounting pressure after winning only two of their last five games amid a series of poor performances.
They were held to back-to-back 1-1 draws against Venezuela and Uruguay in their last two outings, but Dorival is hopeful they will rediscover their identity and get back to winning ways when they host Colombia in the capital Brasilia on Thursday.
“We are responsible for the team’s current form and for everything that has happened,” Dorival told a press conference on Wednesday.
“We are looking to recover in a competition that is getting harder every year and to get back to being consistent we will need to restructure ourselves once and for all and seek organisation to have a good defence and an efficient attack.
“I would be more concerned than I am today if I didn’t see progress despite the latest results… We are trying to make corrections so that the next results can be different, but there is progress, even though many do not want to see it…”
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years, since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup to Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Dorival was appointed in early 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA tried and failed to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
Dorival has so far failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only six of 14 games in charge, including a lacklustre Copa America campaign, when they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay.
Brazil are fifth in the standings with 18 points, one point ahead of Paraguay and one behind Colombia and Ecuador. Uruguay are second with 20 points while Argentina are top with 25 points. Only the top six are guaranteed a berth at the 2026 World Cup finals.
They will face Colombia with seven players who could miss Tuesday’s game in Argentina if they receive a yellow card, including key starters such as Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Raphinha, Bruno Guimaraes and Gabriel Magalhaes.
In the South American Qualifiers, two yellow cards result in an automatic suspension.
Brazil will be without talisman Neymar, who was set to make a long-awaited comeback following over a year recovering from a knee ligament tear but was ruled out last week with a muscle injury.
Dorival was tight-lipped about his team selection, but heaped praise on Brighton & Hove Albion forward Joao Pedro.
“Regarding Neymar, it is only natural that we put all our efforts into building a team around a player like him… It ended up not happening and I hope that he recovers soon,” Dorival said.
“Joao Pedro is very versatile, a forward that has been playing sometimes as a striker, others as a second forward… He can be an asset but we have options.”
-Reuters
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As the countdown races to Friday’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Nigeria’s Super Eagles are unfazed by talks of Nigeria never having beaten Rwanda in any part of the country called Rwanda.
Their focus, according to team captain William Ekong, is the three points at stake.
“We read about that in some places, but we are not bothered. I was part of the last game in Kigali which ended scoreless, but we know that we cannot afford a draw this time.
“Our objective is to pick the three points and bring some life back into our campaign.
“We are certainly not concerned about history books and what has happened before now. Qualification for the FIFA World Cup is our priority.”
The three-time African champions are yet to achieve victory over Rwanda in that country, going back to 20 years ago when a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying match ended 1-1 at the Amahoro Stadium.
In 2011, a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Stade Regional de Nyamirambo, in the outskirts of Kigali, ended scoreless.
In September last year, another 0-0 was the outcome of a 2025 AFCON qualifying match at the Amahoro.
All 23 invited players were at the Eagles’ Radisson Blu nest on Tuesday night, meaning everyone would be involved in the second training on Wednesday, and in the official training session at the Amahoro Stadium on Thursday evening.
Nigeria’s goal-banger Victor Osimhen was among the early arrivals while celebrating becoming the new leading scorer in the Turkish Superlig with 20 goals after a hat-trick on Saturday.
The 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup top scorer now has 23 goals for Nigeria in 47 matches.
There are also reigning Africa Player of the Year Ademola Lookman, Simon Moses, Samuel Chukwueze, Sadiq Umar and new invitee Tolu Arokodare to make life difficult for the Amavubi rearguard.
World football governing body, FIFA has appointed Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed, who turns 38 two days after the match, to take charge of the game that will kick off at 6 pm Rwanda time (5 pm Nigeria time).
Jayed took charge of a friendly game between the Super Eagles and Ghana’s Black Stars in Marrakech on 22nd March 2024, which Nigeria won 2-1.
That match marked the first in 18 years that Nigeria would overcome Ghana in a game at the senior level.
On Friday, Franco-Malian tactician Éric Sékou Chelle will lead out the Super Eagles for the first time, as the FIFA World Cup qualifying series resumes with Nigeria, yet to win in their previous four matches, having to start winning to brighten their chances of picking the only automatic ticket from Group C to the finals in USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.
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