World Cup
World Cup qualifiers in Africa kicks off with Nigeria’s Group
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Wednesday NOV 15
Group C: Rwanda v Zimbabwe – 2pm
Group H: Equatorial Guinea v Namibia – 2pm
Group B: Congo DR v Mauritania – 5pm
Group A: Ethiopia v Sierra Leone – 8pm
The African qualifying series for the 2026 World Cup gets under way this Wednesday afternoon as the first ball is kicked in the Group C harbouring Nigeria, South Africa, Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin and Zimbabwe.
It is Rwanda hosting Zimbabwe that will set rolling, the projected 260-match series spanning 47 months. The matches could have been 270, but the 10 matches involving Eritrea in Group E have to be cancelled following the country’s withdrawal.
Zimbabwe who are away to Rwanda are just returning to the international competitions after the country was suspended by FIFA. The suspension was only lifted in July.
Rwanda, the hosts will be hoping for a good start having not won any competitive match since their 1-0 win over Mozambique on March 24, 2021.
They will be hoping for good form of the trio of Djihad Bizimana, Hakim Sahabo and Lague Byiringiro . The trio can be decisive to the result.
Djihad Bizimana
After a torrid time at Belgian side KMSK Deinze which affected his output in the national team, Bizimana has burst into form again with series of fantastic displays for his new club FC Kryvbas in the Ukrainian Premier League.
The Rubavu-born defensive midfielder has featured in 13 league games this season providing one assist and went on to establish himself as a key figure at the heart of Kryvbas’ form.
Bizimana remains the orchestrator in the Rwandan midfield and his leadership as the new national team captain could add value to the country’s performance against Zimbabwe. If the former Waasland Beveren player exerts his authority in the game, he can propel his side to victory.
Hakim Sahabo
Despite Rwanda finishing at the bottom of Group L in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, teenager Hakim Sahabo proved himself to be one of the revelations in the Amavubi set up.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder assisted Gilbert Mugisha as Rwanda held Benin to a 1-1 draw in Cotonou as Rwanda.
In the youngster, Rwanda has a player who has the eye to give that “final” pass. Against Zimbabwe, he is expected to operate just behind the main striker as a number 10.
One moment of brilliance from the Standard Liege II wonderkid can decide the game. Currently, he is even playing professional football on Belgian Challenger Pro League and his maturity in the game has been improving.
Lague Byiringiro
The Rwandan forward will be going into the game against Zimbabwe with so much confidence against the back drop of his sterling performance for Sandviken IF in Sweden.
He scored 10 goals in Sweden in the just-ended 2023 season where his club secured promotion to the second league.
The former APR forward is capable of operating on both flanks, either as a supporting striker or as the main striker. With Rwanda struggling for goals in recent games and considering his fine form, Spittler might be tempted to use him as the number 9 against Zimbabwe.
He is physical, great technique and ability to dribble past defenders.
You can’t forget that Amavubi’s last win in a competitive match was thanks to his goal against Mozambique on March 24, 2021. Byiringiro can be the saviour again.
Canada Soccer cheekily courted Italy’s crestfallen supporters on Saturday, urging them to swap their Azzurri blue strips for maple leaf red after the four-time champions suffered another World Cup failure.
“Dear Italian soccer fans, don’t wait four more years. Swap your jersey for Canada,” the sports governing body posted on X on Friday, directing fans to gather outside Cafe Diplomatico, a popular restaurant in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood.
The light-hearted appeal followed Italy’s third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup after a playoff defeat by Bosnia on Tuesday, a setback that led to the resignations of coach Gennaro Gattuso and federation president Gabriele Gravina.
Canada, who will co-host the World Cup alongside Mexico and the United States, seized the moment to call for fans to support their country instead.
Local media reported hundreds of supporters queued for the Italy-for-Canada jersey exchange, though the offer proved more symbolic than transactional. Canada Soccer handed out 2026 shirts and posters to fans — and did so without collecting a single Italian jersey in return.
-Reuters
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World Cup
Nigeria and Other Top-Ranked Teams Missing At 2026 World Cup Raise Questions Over Global Football Balance
By Kunle Solaja.
Despite the expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 48 teams, several high-profile nations—including some ranked within the top 30 globally—will not feature at the 2026 finals in the United States, Mexico and Canada, underlining the increasingly unforgiving nature of modern qualification.
The most striking absence is the four-time world champions Italy national football team, who failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs.
Once a permanent fixture at the global showpiece, Italy’s continued absence has triggered widespread criticism at home, with many describing the situation as a national sporting crisis.
Europe’s Big Casualties
Italy are not alone among Europe’s elite in missing out. Countries such as Denmark’s national football team, Poland’s national football team and Serbia’s national football team, all of whom have consistently hovered around the top tiers of FIFA rankings in recent years, also failed to make the cut.
Poland’s elimination is particularly significant, as it likely marks the end of World Cup ambitions for veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, while Denmark’s absence comes after years of steady progress on the international stage.
Serbia, boasting a generation of technically gifted players, were also among those eliminated during the qualification process.
African Heavyweights Left Out
Africa will send a record number of teams to the expanded tournament, yet notable absentees remain.
Three-time African champions Nigeria national football team and five-time AFCON winners Cameroon national football team both failed to qualify after disappointing campaigns.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions are among Africa’s big names missing at the World Cup.
Nigeria’s absence is particularly glaring given the quality of players such as Victor Osimhen, while Cameroon fell short despite a squad featuring several Europe-based stars.
South American Decline
In South America, the Chile national football team continue their dramatic fall from grace. Once Copa América champions, Chile finished bottom of the CONMEBOL qualifying table, extending their World Cup absence to three editions.
Emerging Pattern: Expansion Without Guarantees
The absence of these established football nations highlights a key reality: even with 48 slots, World Cup qualification remains fiercely competitive.
While debutants such as Cape Verde, Curaçao and Uzbekistan have secured historic places at the finals, traditional powers have faltered under pressure.
Analysts note that this shift reflects a broader trend in global football—greater parity, improved development structures in smaller nations, and declining dominance of traditional heavyweights.
A World Cup Without Familiar Faces
The 2026 tournament will therefore present a unique landscape—one where emerging nations share the stage while several established powers watch from home.
For fans, it promises freshness and unpredictability. For the absent giants, however, it serves as a stark reminder that reputation alone is no longer enough to secure a place at football’s biggest event.
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By Kunle Solaja.
A remarkable storyline is emerging ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as no fewer than seven countries have secured returns to the global football showpiece after prolonged absences spanning decades.
Leading the list are Haiti and DR Congo, both of which are back on the World Cup stage after an astonishing 52-year absence. Haiti last featured at the tournament in 1974, the same year DR Congo, then known as Zaire, made their only previous appearance.
European sides Scotland national football team, Norway national football team and Austria national football team are also ending 28-year waits.
Scotland’s last outing came in 1998, while Norway and Austria have similarly endured long spells away from the competition despite periods of promise in European football.
South America will see the return of the Paraguay national football team, who are back after a 16-year hiatus, having last appeared at the 2010 finals in South Africa.
On the African continent, the South Africa national football team will make a long-awaited comeback after 16 years, their previous participation coming when they hosted the tournament in 2010.
The wave of returning nations highlights the expanding opportunities created by the enlarged 48-team format for the 2026 World Cup, which will be staged across Canada, the United States and Mexico.
For many of these countries, qualification marks not just a sporting achievement but a generational milestone, rekindling national pride and offering a new era of players the chance to perform on football’s biggest stage after decades in the wilderness.
With traditional powers and returning underdogs set to collide, the 2026 tournament is already shaping up to be one of the most diverse and unpredictable in World Cup history.
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