World Cup
Tunisia and Madagascar secure crucial wins in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
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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As the build-up to the Group C World Cup qualifiers of Rwanda and Nigeria continues, Rwanda’s lead newspaper, The New Times has established key battle fronts to be expected on Friday at theAmahoro Stadium.
Keenness is the key word as Rwanda aims to consolidate the Group C leadership while the underperforming Super Eagles aim to get their hopes back on track.
New Times has established five key battles to look out for in the match.
Claude Niyomugabo vs Ola Aina
It was a fascinating battle when the two players last faced each other which was in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers in Kigali on September 10, 2024.
Niyomugabo played as if he was possessed and Ola Aina will admit he has never been tormented by another fullback in his career like that. The Nottingham Forest star got booked on the stroke of halftime by Moroccan referee Karim Sabry for pulling the jersey of Niyomugabo who had left him for dead.
It will be another fierce battle on Friday and Niyomugabo will want to show again that he can compete against some of the best in the world.
Kevin Muhire vs Wilfred Ndidi
Muhire ran the show against the more experienced Ndidi and occasionally left the Nigeria deputy skipper marking only shadows.
Muhire was so swift, his passes, and ability to move into empty spaces and others were spot on when the two teams met in September last year.
Will the Rayon Sports skipper be able to replicate that performance or will Ndidi come out victorious this time? Only time will tell.
Victor Osimhen vs Ange Mutsinzi
Ange Mutsinzi did a good job by man-marking the Nigerian star when the two teams met six months ago. Osimhen was restricted to just three chances when he came on in the second half as Amavubi pulled a 0-0 draw.
The telepathic understanding between Mutsinzi and his defensive partner Thierry Manzi worked on the day as though the former was marking Osimhen, the latter stood close so as to offer additional support.
Osimhen is expected to start on Friday and will the Amavubi pair be able to hold him for 90 minutes? Mutsinzi may have learnt his lessons as in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, he pocketed Sadio Mane for 95 minutes before conceding a 96th-minute penalty as Amavubi lost 1-0.
Bonheur Mugisha vs Ademola Lookman
Lookman was the most dangerous Nigerian player the last time the two teams met in Kigali in September 2024.
The Atalanta star played as a number 10 and he caused problems for Bonheur Mugisha early in the game before the Stade Tunisien player warmed himself into the encounter and had a wonderful outing.
It will be an intriguing battle again between the two players should Eric Chelle choose to deploy Lookman as a number 10.
Nigerian attack vs Fiacre Ntwari
Fiacre Ntwari made an incredible 11 saves as Amavubi drew 0-0 with Nigeria at the same venue in a 2025 AFCON qualifier in 2024. Ntwari earned praise from then Nigeria coach Augustine Eguavoen who described him as the man of the match and one of the best keepers he has seen.
Nigeria is spoilt for choice in attack. They have Osimhen, Victor Moses, Umar Sadiq, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Tolu Arokodare and others who cause havoc on any day.
They will start firing from all angles as usual and Ntwari must have to prove his mettle again by saving Amavubi as he did in September 2024.
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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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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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