AFCON
SIERRA LEONE COACH, JOHN KEISTER PSYCHES UP PLAYERS FOR POSSIBLE UPSET
Bottom placed Sierra Leone in the Group L of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers are seeking great determination to upstage the group leaders, Nigeria as they in Benin City this Friday.
The match is coming up a year and a day after Benin Republic nearly upset Nigeria at the opener in Uyo.
Speaking with Sierra Leone outlet, Football Sierra Leone, Coach John Keister whose team has only been to the continental finals only twice as against Nigeria’s 18 appearances has urged his players to have the right mentality and belief going into matchday three of the African Cup of Nations qualifier in Nigeria. Keister’s men face with a tough away job at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
The Leone Stars have only won once in their last six outings that include the two recent friendlies in October. Ranked 88th places below Nigeria, Sierra Leone must avoid a back to back defeat, worst-case scenario a win at home, if they are to rejuvenate their chances for Cameroon next year.
They last featured at the 1996 edition in South Africa. Fifteen of the sixteen foreign-based named will be available for the quick-double on 13 and 17 as Keister urged his players to put faith in their abilities. Keister will bank on the likes of MLS veteran Kei Kamara, who scored Leone Stars winner against Liberia in Freetown during the World Cup elimination last September.
Randers striker Alhaji Kamara is in good form with his Danish Superligaen side same could be said of China-based striker Mohamed Buya Turay who has accounted for six goals four assists in all competition with Hebei China Fortune.
LA Galaxy striker Augustine William is another secret weapon in Keister’s side. A proving goal scorer with 13 goals for LA Galaxy II this season. His 13 goals and two assists helped him finished second in the race for the USL Championship’s Golden Boot.
Williams’ impressive form this campaign has led to USL key observers named him to the 2020 USL Championship All-League First Team.
Nigeria, on the other hand, in dire need of a win to strengthen their Cameroon 2022 ambitions.
Their last international game in Benin City was a friendly against Botswana which ended in a goalless draw. Without any exaggeration, the Eagles have only won one of their four matches in the multi-purpose stadium named after two-time Governor of the old Bendel State (now Edo State), the late Dr Samuel Ogbemudia.
With the likes of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, Genk and Jupiler top-scorer Paul Onuachu who replace Moses Simon, Everton attacker midfielder Alex Iwobi, German coach Gernot Rohr has a lot of firepowers.
Nigeria’s last eight goals have been scored by six different players. Victor Osimhen is the highest goal scorer in Group L with three goals. Everton’s Alex Iwobi, Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze and Bordeaux’s Samuel Kalu have a goal each to their names.
“As a group, we have to be positive in our approach in both games. It’s not the easiest of games taking on one of the best nations in our continent,” Keister to FSL UK a day before departed Freetown.
The Manchester-born, former Sierra Leone International further urged his players to have the right mentality.
“Going into the game against Nigeria, we have to be clever in our method, and we have to be honest about it. We have been working on our strategies, but we must have the right mentality.
The journey to the Africa Cup of Nations 2027 begins this week as 12 nations battle for six available spots in the preliminary round of qualifiers.
The opening phase of the race for AFCON PAMOJA 2027, set to be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, will see the continent’s lowest-ranked teams, based on FIFA rankings at the time of the draw, compete over two legs for a place in the group stage qualifiers.
Race for Six Places
Following the success of the 2025 tournament in Morocco, a new qualification cycle gets underway with fixtures spread across Southern, Eastern and Central Africa.
The preliminary round promises closely contested encounters, with teams aiming to gain an early advantage before decisive return legs.
Among the standout fixtures:
- Eritrea face Eswatini in Meknes before the return leg in Lobamba
- Lesotho and Seychelles meet twice in Bloemfontein
- Djibouti and South Sudan clash in back-to-back matches in Juba
- Somalia take on Mauritius across two legs in Mozambique and Saint Pierre
- Chad battle Burundi between N’Djamena and Bujumbura
- São Tomé and Príncipe face Ethiopia, with matches in El Jadida and Dire Dawa
The six winners from these ties will advance to join 42 other teams in the group stage qualifiers.
Some ties present unusual dynamics, notably Djibouti versus South Sudan, where both legs will be played in Juba, giving South Sudan a potential home advantage in both fixtures.
Similarly, Lesotho and Seychelles will contest both legs in Bloemfontein, adding another interesting twist to the qualification format.
Qualification Format and Timeline
The next phase will feature a group stage involving 13 groups of three or four teams. The 13 group winners qualify automatically. They will be joined by three best runners-up. The remaining 10 runners-up compete in a playoff round for the final qualifying spots
Key qualification windows are scheduled for:
- September 21–30, 2026: Match Day 1 and 2
- October 1–6, 2026: Match Day 3 and 4
- November 9–17, 2026: Match Day 5 and 6.
The finals, scheduled from June 19 to July 18, 2027, will mark a historic moment as the first Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by three countries. It will also be the last to hold under the two-year cycle.
As the preliminary round kicks off, smaller footballing nations have a rare opportunity to build momentum and dream of reaching the continent’s biggest stage.
For the 12 teams involved, the message is clear: the road to AFCON 2027 starts now—and only half will take the next step.
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By Kunle Solaja.
The CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb has stated that the tribunal is prepared to handle the Senegal case against CAF and Morocco efficiently.
“CAS is perfectly equipped to resolve this type of dispute, with the assistance of expert and independent arbitrators,” he said.
“We understand that teams and fans are eager to know the final decision, and we will ensure that arbitration proceedings are conducted as swiftly as possible, while respecting the right of all parties to a fair hearing.”
CAS noted that proceedings will remain confidential while ongoing, with further updates to be provided only when key milestones, such as a hearing date, are confirmed.
The case now sets the stage for a potentially landmark legal battle over the outcome of one of Africa’s biggest football competitions, with the final status of the AFCON 2025 title hanging in the balance.
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Decision By CAF
By Kunle Solaja.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport has confirmed receipt of an appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation challenging the outcome of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final.
In a statement issued in Lausanne on 25 March 2026, CAS said the appeal is directed against both the Confederation of African Football and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
The dispute stems from a CAF ruling on 17 March 2026, which declared that Senegal forfeited the AFCON final, awarding the match to Morocco with a 3-0 scoreline.
In its appeal, Senegal is asking CAS to set aside the CAF decision and declare Senegal the rightful winners of the tournament.
The federation has also requested a suspension of the deadline for submitting its full appeal brief, arguing that the CAF decision has so far been issued without detailed grounds.
CAS confirmed that the appeal was officially registered on 25 March and that an arbitral panel will be constituted to hear the case.
Legal Process Underway
Under CAS procedures, the appellant has 20 days to submit a detailed appeal brief, while the respondents, CAF and Morocco, will then have another 20 days to respond
However, due to Senegal’s request to suspend deadlines pending full documentation of the CAF ruling, no clear procedural timeline has yet been established.
As a result, it remains uncertain when hearings will take place or when a final verdict may be delivered.
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